Just Speak Your Mind!
by livie10
Summary: When Kagome gets angry, really, really angry... Sesshoumaru suddenly is forced to say exactly what he thinks in every situation imaginable! She'd always wanted to know what was going on in that head of his, but this is just awkward! The fact that he's now joined the group demanding her to remove an accidental curse is decidedly NOT helping.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, here goes! This is my first fanfic EVER, but by all means, let the flames abound! As long as you're criticizing the story and not my value as a human being I really don't mind at all. In fact, I prefer you being mean to me than letting me go on making a fool of myself. I tend to write angsty, somewhat-humorous stories, so if you don't like that… sorry, I guess? Btw, if you think Sesshoumaru is OOC, TELL ME! There's nothing I hate more than an OOC Sesshoumaru. Also, a forewarning: I am highly prone to hiatuses, but I'll try my best to keep myself interested ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… (runs away in tears)**

-oOo-

Chapter 1:

"Inuyasha, can we stop for a few minutes? Pleeeease?" Kagome said. They'd been walking since sun-up with no breaks, and it was already at least an hour past noon.

The hanyou gave her an annoyed look, but the fact that he'd even bothered to glance over was an improvement. "Feh," he mumbled, his eyes returning to the road in front of them.

"Pretty _pretty _please?" she begged. When he looked at her again she pressed her hands together as if she was praying and continued, "Only for a few minutes, I promise."

"No."

When he looked away again her eyes narrowed, and a spark of anger lit in her chest. "Inuyasha," she said, straining to keep her voice calm. "Please, may we stop?"

"_No._"

Somewhere deep inside her yet another string snapped. She stopped short. Inuyasha kept going, but she ignored him, turning back to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou. Kirara was currently in her small form, collapsed on her mistress's shoulder. The four were in a state similar to hers. They looked at her wearily as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

"We're stopping for lunch," she announced. Somewhere behind her she heard the crunch of Inuyasha's footsteps cease, but she paid him no mind and stepped off the dusty road they'd been following and into the trees to their right. With a few last apologetic looks at their hanyou companion, the rest of the party followed suit. Inuyasha glared at them for a few moments before grudgingly plodding after them.

Kagome took deep, calming breaths as her companions followed her deeper into the forest. _Remain calm, remain calm, remain calm…_ The fact that it was the hottest day of, like, her entire life up to this point wasn't exactly helping. It was a bit cooler in the shade of the trees, but not by much. She watched as a squirrel walked across the deer-trail in front of her. She'd never seen a squirrel walk before. Didn't they usually bound or something?

She sighed, adjusting her battered yellow backpack, and looked around. She was currently in a clearing, large enough for everyone to sit down and eat comfortably but small enough that the whole thing was still shadowed beneath a canopy of deciduous leaves. She let her backpack slide off her back to the leafy forest floor and stretched before taking a seat on a big rock and rooting through the faded monstrosity for food. By the time the others had caught up to her she had already pulled out a few bottles of water and set them on the ground in front of her.

Inuyasha paced in circles around the clearing as she began preparing food, muttering about how useless humans were. Kagome pointedly ignored his rudeness. She'd been doing a lot of that lately. She found it was actually more effective than the "S word" most of the time. Not that she didn't get some use out of a good healthy "sit" once in a while—she just didn't feel the need to make him even angrier at the moment.

"Stupid humans…" he grumbled. "We've only been walking for a few hours…"

_Just shut up, Inuyasha._ She winced internally at her thoughts. Since when was she this rude? She'd have to have a talk with him tonight, when she was less hot and significantly less exhausted. But then again, when wasn't she hot and exhausted these days? It was the dead of summer. Even the nights were sweltering. Her classmates in her own time were on summer vacation now, holed into their respective homes and under-appreciating the true value of air conditioning. And it seemed like the very moment the weather had heated up Inuyasha had decided if they didn't get the shards right-this-very-moment something awful would happen.

She snorted. _Like what? What could happen that hasn't already?_ It had been two years since the start of their little "adventure". Naraku probably had all the other shards now. She thought of the four measly shards in the bottle around her neck and touched it delicately with her fingertips. Maybe that was why Inuyasha was so anxious to keep moving ahead. He wanted to be certain all the shards possible had been discovered by either them or Naraku before they tracked down the evil hanyou for the final battle.

She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the low growl building in Inuyasha's throat. When Shippou asked him what was wrong Kagome looked up from her task. The hanyou was growling loudly now, squinting into the trees and sniffing the air simultaneously. "Inuyasha?" she asked, confused.

"Sesshoumaru," he snarled and promptly dashed off into the trees.

The camp remained frozen for a few seconds, staring after the disappeared hanyou, before springing into action. Kagome jumped to her feet, taking up her bow and quiver, and Sango and Miroku stood. Kirara transformed and everyone crawled onto her back, Shippou taking his place on Kagome's shoulder. As soon as everyone was aboard the youkai cat she took off in a streak of flame.

-oOo-

"BASTARD!" came the inevitable roar as Inuyasha brandished Tessaiga at his brother, sweeping it in a massive arc and bringing it down in front of him. Sesshoumaru jumped neatly out of the way. The dust cleared to reveal several scratches in the earth's surface, like a huge demon had reached down and scraped his claws along the ground.

Kagome groaned. This was bound to be long and painful and extremely annoying. Especially since Inuyasha hadn't eaten since breakfast. No matter what he said, his human side was more prevalent than his demon side when it came to food.

Kirara landed swiftly a few yards from the scene just as Inuyasha aimed another strike at Sesshoumaru. Kagome dismounted quickly, flanked by Sango and Miroku. Shippou remained with Kirara as they retreated a bit. The brothers disregarded their appearance and continued to duke it out in bright flashes of youki and clouds of dust.

Kagome sneezed. Gosh, it was so dusty today…

"Kagome-neechan!" She turned her head to see Rin waving enthusiastically at her from across the battlefield. Jaken was frowning at the tiny girl, most likely spouting something about how she should be more respectful to Sesshoumaru-sama, but the taiyoukai's young ward just grinned at Kagome.

The older girl's face lit up and she waved back at Rin. Over the past couple years since the girl had started tagging along after Sesshoumaru they'd become fast friends. How could they not, after all? Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha had a run-in at least once a week. The routine got boring after a while. Rin found her way over to the group and she and Kagome joined Kirara and Shippou at the tree line, taking shelter beneath a large tree. Rin chattered happily as Sango and Miroku followed them, ignoring Jaken's squawking protests.

"DIE, DAMN BASTARD!" _Crash!_

"So, Rin, have you and Sesshoumaru come across Naraku lately?" asked Kagome, offering the thin girl a slightly melted chocolate bar from her backpack, along with a water bottle of her own. She took a mental not to fill them up soon.

Rin bit into the chocolate eagerly. After a few moments she responded. "No. Naraku's left Sesshoumaru-sama alone for a while." She took another bite.

"No Shikon shards, either?" asked Kagome.

"COWARD! STOP DODGING, DAMN BASTARD!"

Rin shook her head just as Jaken hurriedly told her to lie. Kagome rolled her eyes at the toad and glanced back at the fighting brothers. Inuyasha was, as usual, swinging his sword around like an idiot, and Sesshoumaru was, as usual, giving him a look that said very clearly he thought the hanyou was beneath him as he dodged every blow with practiced ease. _Y'know, Inuyasha, you'd probably actually hit him every once in a while if you could cool your head a bit._

"But we did hear about a demon that way"—she pointed to the south—"that has a shard. That's why we were coming to get Kagome-neechan."

Kagome looked back at Rin, her brow creasing. "You mean Sesshoumaru was looking for us?"

Rin nodded vigorously. "Sesshoumaru-sama didn't tell Rin or Jaken where we were going, but I think he was looking for Kagome-neechan."

_That's weird,_ Kagome thought, leaning back against the tree trunk.

"DIE! DIE YOU FUCKING ASSHAT! AHHHHH!" _Smash!_

_Okay, this has gone on long enough._ Kagome frowned and stood up, hands on her hips. Fighting she could deal with, but neither Rin nor Shippou should be hearing such foul language. Her glare fixed on Inuyasha, she squared her shoulders and strode purposefully out onto the battlefield.

"Inuyasha," she said dangerously, tapping her foot on the ground.

"SHUT UP KAGOME! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING?! DAMMIT!" He swung his sword around again.

Kagome gritted her teeth. "Don't make me say it!"

"YOU'RE DISTRACTING ME! GO WAIT IN THE WOODS OR SOMETHING!"

There. That was it, right there. Every offhanded comment about humans and their weakness suddenly came back. Every time Kikyou had shown up and Inuyasha had gone all goo-goo-eyed flashed through Kagome's mind. It was as if every pent-up anger and complaint for the past three years had been leading up to this one point. Her eyes burned. "Sit, Inuyasha! SIT!" The hanyou immediately crashed to the ground, but she wasn't done there. "SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!"

She stomped forward to the edge of the Inuyasha-shaped crater. "Oh my God, Inuyasha, could you _be_ less mature?! SIT!" _Smash! _"Go 'hide in the woods'? What am I, made of glass? SIT! We walk all day, every day, and yet you still get pissed off every time we ask for the shortest break! Don't even think about getting up yet! SIT! SIT! SIT!"

Her friends gaped at her. Even Jaken had stopped needling Rin long enough to stare in shock at the girl. Sesshoumaru watched with mild interest as his half-brother was pounded over and over again into the hard earth.

"What were you thinking? SIT! Swearing like that in front of Shippou and Rin?! Do you EVER think about what you say? SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! And picking a fight with your brother every chance you get? Did you ever think that maybe you could, I don't know, ACT LIKE AN ADULT FOR ONCE?! SIT! AND ANOTHER THING! From now on, I decide when we stop and when we go! SIT! There will be no more walking for hours on end, not on MY watch. SIT! AND ANOTHER THING! From now on, you are NOT to go looking for trouble with Sesshoumaru for ANY reason! Next time you need to go relieve some male hormones go find Kikyou. I'm sure she'd be all too happy to help. SIT, INUYASHA! SIT-SIT-SIT-SIT-SIT-SIT-SIT-SIT-SIT!"

Kagome panted, staring down at Inuyasha, who was now thoroughly bruised and lying at the bottom of a hole that was at least twenty feet deep. Her friends watched, all holding their breaths, as she took a step back from the crater and struggled to breathe normally.

She glanced over to where Sesshoumaru was standing, his sword still held in his one hand, giving her a look that could only be described as monotonous. How was that possible anyway? How could a _look_ be monotonous? She glared into his golden eyes. "And _you_," she said. "What the hell is wrong with _you_? If you had something to say you should just say it, smart one." He merely narrowed his eyes a half millimeter at her. She hadn't thought it was possible for another string to snap, but it did right then.

"Oh my gosh, would you show some emotion for ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, SESSHOUMARU?!" she screamed, jabbing a finger at him. She didn't even notice the pink energy that was swirling through her, concentrating in her hand—the one she had pointed straight at him. "I WISH YOU'D JUST SPEAK YOUR MIND FOR ONCE!"

_Zap!_

Kagome's jaw dropped as suddenly the energy that had been collecting in her hand was released, arcing through the air so quickly even Sesshoumaru didn't have time to dodge. It hit him square in the chest and he flinched backward a couple steps before regaining his footing. Kagome faltered, shocked. "Uh… I…" Before she could utter another word she found herself suddenly pinned about three feet off the ground to a tree with Sesshoumaru's hand pressed around her throat. His fangs were bared and his eyes were tinged blood red.

"You smell weird, human wench."

-oOo-

Sorry, that's all for today! My sister keeps begging for the computer XP (stupid sister!) Please review! Flame me all you want; my ego could use a little downgrading ;) Sorry I left off here. I just couldn't find a way to continue without going on for another thirty minutes or so O.O

-oOo-

**ADDED 1/1/2014**

**Okay, my sister was reading this story for me, and I realized, thanks to her, that not everyone is familiar with the Japanese language. I don't pretend to be a professional, so if you see any errors below please let me know!**

Miko: priestess

Houshi: Buddhist monk

Taijiya: demon slayer

Youkai: demon

Taiyoukai: greater demon; used to mean ruling demon in Inuyasha

Inu: dog

Neko: cat

Hanyou: half-demon

Shikon no Tama: Jewel of Four Souls/Sacred Jewel

Kitsune: fox (when I use it I'm referring to fox demons, like Shippou; don't know if that's its actual usage though)

Kaze no Kizu: wind scar

Ookami: wolf

Kami: god

Hakama: the puffy pants Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and priestesses wear

Haori: the top that those above wear

Obi: the tie around the middle of kimono and yukata (small kimono)

**Honorifics and Titles…**

-dono: "Lord" or "Master"; between "-sama" and "-san"; if two kings were speaking to one another, they would use "-dono"

-sama: very high respect; a person speaking to a king would use "-sama"

-san: respect for someone you don't know well (if you're both of middle-class, I suppose); a teacher and parent would refer to one another as such

-kun: when people of a senior status address one of a junior status; among males; by females to address a male they are close to (or to whom they wish to become close)

-chan: used to insinuate that the person to whose name it is attached is cute or endearing; by girls when talking in the third person, to sound cutesy

-bou: like "-chan", but only for boys

baa (and variations): base of the word for grandmother; Inuyasha calls Kaede "Kaede-babaa", which means that she's an old grandma

ba (and variations): base of the word for aunt

kaa (and variations): base of the word for mother

jii (and variations): base of the word for grandfather; Inuyasha calls Myouga "Myouga-jijii", which means that he's an old grandpa

ji (and variations): base of the word for uncle

tou (and variations): base of the word for father

nee (and variations): base of the word for older sister

nii (and variations): base of the word for older brother

-ue: old-fashioned (sort of); conveys respect; i.e., Ane-ue and Chichi-ue (father)

Imouto: younger sister

Otouto: younger brother

Go/o-: beginning of word that conveys respect; otousan (father), ohashi (chopsticks), goryoushin (parents)

Haha/Okaasan: mother

Chichi/Otousan: father

Ane-ue: old-fashioned way to refer to older sister

Aniki: refers to older brother

**A Note on Plurals:**

In Japanese, nouns aren't made into plural (at least, not in most cases); therefore, "neko" could mean one cat, two cats, or three cats. I've heard it said that the group Inuyasha and Kagome travel with is referred to as the "Inu-tachi". I'm _not_ going to use this because I was told by a native Japanese speaker that this would be understood as , "a bunch of dogs." –tachi can signify a plural in some cases (watashi-tachi, anata-tachi, etc.), but I won't use it like that in this fic. In fact, I probably won't use it at all!

**A Note on Respect:**

It is common, respectful, and pretty much expected to refer to another's relatives in the politest form possible, to people directly in the politest form possible (unless you're really familiar or something), and to your own relatives (when speaking in the third person, i.e., "This is my mom.") in the humble form. Therefore, someone would call their mom "okaasan" (or something similar) in the second person, call someone else's mom "okaasan", and call their mom "haha" when talking to someone else about her.

**Sorry for the overly long A/N! It is somewhat-relevant, though. I'll be adding to this one as I go, so feel free to use this chapter as a reference.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, here goes! My thanks to reviewers, followers, favoriters (is that a word?), etc. Love you**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing… (still crying in the corner)**

-oOo-

Last Time…

Zap!

_Kagome's jaw dropped as suddenly the energy that had been collecting in her hand was released, arcing through the air so quickly even Sesshoumaru didn't have time to dodge. It hit him square in the chest and he flinched backward a couple steps before regaining his footing. Kagome faltered, shocked. "Uh… I…" Before she could utter another word she found herself suddenly pinned about three feet off the ground to a tree with Sesshoumaru's hand pressed around her throat. His fangs were bared and his eyes were tinged blood red._

"_You smell weird, human wench."_

-oOo-

Chapter 2:

Kagome blinked. Sesshoumaru growled. The spectators drew in a collective (albeit slightly delayed) breath, with the exception of Inuyasha, who was currently teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.

"What did you do to me, wench? And why do you smell good? And why did I just say that?"

_Oh my God,_ Kagome thought, cringing as she struggled for her breath.

"Answer me!" he snarled.

"I—I can't breathe!" she gasped, her hands grasping at his arm.

"Maybe that's a good thing. You talk too much anyway," he said. Kagome's jaw went slack and she stared at him as he went on. "Why did I just say that? What did she do to me? This stupid wench!"

"Hey, stop calling me that!" She coughed weakly. "And let me go!"

"Why should I do that? You might try something weird again."

"Let. Me. Go!"

He gave her a threatening look as he slowly lowered her to the ground. It might have been more threatening if he hadn't said at that very moment, "Your face is turning red, human."

She coughed, rubbing her throat with her hands. "Of course it is! You could have killed me just now!"

Before he could respond with another rude remark Sango and Miroku were suddenly standing between them, wielding their weapons. Sesshoumaru sneered at them, and in particular at Sango. "Maybe if you wore some decent clothing the monk wouldn't be trying to feel you up all the time, taijiya," he informed her.

Sango's eyes widened in shock, a slight blush creeping up her neck. "Wh—what?"

Kagome gulped as the taiyoukai turned his murderous gaze on her and stepped forward. "Tell me what you did to me."

She struggled to pull herself to her feet, still fighting off a wave of vertigo. She shook her head. "I—I don't know…"

"You have a leaf stuck in your hair."

"Oh, thank y—" She stopped herself, her hand halfway to her head. Her eyes widened. "You! You have to say everything you think, don't you?" she said.

Sesshoumaru gave her an icy look. "Yes. Now _fix it_."

Bewildered, she exchanged glances with Miroku. Sango was too busy glaring at Sesshoumaru for insulting her choice in clothing to be of any use. The monk was obviously fighting back an amused grin. Kagome wasn't feeling so happy though. In fact, she was starting to feel very, very worried. She'd just cursed _Sesshoumaru_, for crying out loud! To have to say everything he thought… _She_ wouldn't even want to do that. There were some things that were just meant to stay private.

She looked at him guiltily. "Uh, I don't know how," she said. "I don't even know how I did it."

He growled, causing Sango and Miroku to tense visibly. "I don't want your pity, human wench."

"Stop _calling_ me that!" she snapped.

"Then _fix it_."

"I told you I don't know how!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Miroku cut in, sensing things were about to get nasty if he didn't do something to aid the situation. The taiyoukai's eyes remained on Kagome, but Miroku could tell he was listening. "Kagome-sama's powers are not fully developed yet," he explained. "I assure you any curses placed on you were purely accidental. However, perhaps Kaede-sama would know what to do."

"DIE! DAMN BASTARD!"

"SIT, INUYASHA!" Kagome yelled. The approaching hanyou crashed to the ground. _Sorry._

"That amuses me," Sesshoumaru deadpanned.

Miroku snickered. The taiyoukai immediately told him that his ponytail made him look gay. Kagome groaned. "I think Kaede's our best bet."

-oOo-

"Her skin is so wrinkly."

"Ignore him, Kaede-baasan," said Kagome. "He's having issues."

"Tch."

It had been a full three days since the Incident had occurred. Sesshoumaru had grown steadily more irritable, if that was even possible, over the period, preferring to stay as far away from the group as he could.

Kagome was feeling worse than ever about the whole thing. Sure, she and Sesshoumaru weren't the best of friends, but that didn't mean he deserved to have all his innermost thoughts laid out in front of God and everybody. And for it to happen to Sesshoumaru, of all people… Why not Inuyasha? Speaking his mind every once in a while would probably do him some good. Then he'd actually be forced to come to terms with his feelings, as opposed to avoiding them. Why not Miroku? Everyone already knew what he was thinking anyway!

But no, in all actually she wouldn't wish this fate on anyone, not even Miroku. No one deserved this.

Kaede squinted at the group as they entered her small hut, flanked by the last person she'd ever expected to see in her home. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, inclining her head respectfully. "What brings ye here?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Kagome cursed him and he's being a wimp about—"

"Shut up, Inuyasha," said the taiyoukai, glaring daggers at his half-brother. Miroku snorted. Sango thunked him upside the head with Hiraikotsu.

Kaede raised her eyebrows at Kagome, who shrugged apologetically and said, "It was an accident?"

"Hm…" She looked between Sesshoumaru and Kagome a few times before continuing, "Please sit down." When they were all seated in a small circle (with the exception of Sesshoumaru, who informed them solemnly that he didn't like sitting with other people), Kagome began explaining what had happened, detailing the exact words she had used to curse Sesshoumaru and leaving out a good majority of what she had said to Inuyasha. When she was finished the room fell silent, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Sesshoumaru was currently fighting to not think about anything so that he wouldn't say something else that was totally uncalled for. Not being able to control one's words, especially considering who he was, was not only annoying but dangerous.

"So ye don't know how ye managed to curse him?" inquired Kaede.

Kagome shook her head miserably. "No idea. I just said that I wished he'd speak his mind, and then _zap._" She clapped her hands together.

Kaede frowned. "You wished?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. It was sort of a heat-of-the-moment thing."

"Do you have any idea how this may have come to be?" asked Miroku in one of his rare serious moments.

"A few," said Kaede. "In moments of heightened emotion we find ourselves to be capable of much more than what is normal. When our lives be threatened, for example." She looked at Kagome. "Or when we're angry. It brings out strengths that weren't present before. Or, at least, we didn't know they were."

"So you're saying I had the power to wish a curse on someone all along and it just so happened that Sesshoumaru got in the way?" asked Kagome.

"Exactly."

"That would make it Inuyasha's fault," Sesshoumaru said calmly.

"Hey! It's not my fault you lousy—"

"Ahem!" Inuyasha fell silent and Kagome turned back to Kaede. "I've never heard of a miko being able to curse someone. Other than Tsubaki. But she was a dark miko."

"Yes, usually a holy miko would bless her target. That is our purpose, after all." Kaede glanced at Sesshoumaru, humor in her eyes. "Although it may simply be that ye'd thought of it as a blessing at the time."

Sesshoumaru sneered. "You're so wrinkly."

"Don't ye disrespect me, Sesshoumaru-sama," said Kaede, her voice suddenly strong. "You are a guest in my house."

"Excuse me for _thinking_," he retorted.

"Ye _be_ excused," responded the old woman sharply.

"Please, Kaede-baasan," said Kagome, interrupting before Sesshoumaru could insult her further. "Is there anything you can think of that might assist us?" She hesitated. "When I was cursed, it was different. Tsubaki had to constantly use her powers to control me. But this isn't like that. It's more of a… a one-time ordeal. I don't think it will be as easy to overcome."

Kaede turned back to the girl, sighing. "Ye be right about that, Kagome-sama."

"So what can we do?"

The old woman stood, exhaling heavily as she strode slowly to her door. The group watched as she shifted the reed door to the side, gazing out at the mountains that surrounded the tiny village that would one day become Tokyo. "I do not know. But I know of someone who might." She turned back to the group. "There be a monastery southeast of here, in a large city called Kyoto."

"Kyoto?" asked Kagome in surprise.

Kaede looked at her. "It still exists in your time?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yes. I've always wanted to go there." She sighed. "It'll take forever to get there though. It's at least 450 kilometers."

"Yes, it be quite far away," said Kaede. "Two weeks at a steady pace, I've been told."

"Two weeks?" said Inuyasha. "No way. We're looking for the Shikon shards. We don't have time to be traipsing around monasteries and—"

"Actually, Inuyasha," said Sesshoumaru coldly, "we received word of a youkai in possession of a shard southeast of here, in a large city. Perhaps it is in Kyoto."

"Was that the shard Rin told me about?" asked Kagome curiously. With all the hassle to get back to Edo in the past three days she'd completely forgotten the entire reason Sesshoumaru had shown up in the first place.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" said Inuyasha grouchily, glaring at Kagome and Sesshoumaru in turn.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You were too busy attacking your brother every other second for us to get in a single rational word with you, Inuyasha."

"Half-brother," said Sesshoumaru.

"Whatever." She stood up and brushed off her uniform skirt. "I need to go home for a couple days anyway to stock up on new food. We're running out of Maruchan."

Sesshoumaru growled. "What did you just say?"

Kagome stared at him, not understanding his sudden anger. "Uh, that we're running out of Maruchan? Oh!" She grinned, suddenly realizing what she'd just said. "No! I didn't mean it like that. I swear!" She giggled. Miroku smirked. Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed to slits.

"What are you laughing at, human wench?"

"Nothing, nothing! It's just…" She suppressed a smile. "It's a ramen company. Y'know, noodles?"

She was suddenly pinned against the wall again, his hand pressed against his throat. Sango cried out in surprise and Inuyasha cursed. "Don't mess with me, human wench."

She waved her hands in front of her face, still holding back laughter. "No, no, I swear I wasn't making fun of you. I swear!"

"Then _why_ would you say that?" he asked, baring his fangs and pressing his hand tighter around her neck.

She gasped. Before he hadn't really been holding her tightly, but now it was starting to hurt. "I told you, it's a noodle company!"

"What's a noodle company?!"

"Just what it sounds like!" She spied Inuyasha about to bash Sesshoumaru over the head with Tessaiga, and did the only thing she could think of to prevent Kaede's hut's imminent destruction. "Sit!" _Crash!_ She turned back to the subject at hand as Sango and Miroku took the hint and backed off a bit. "I can show you if you let me down, okay?"

Sesshoumaru paused for a few seconds, absorbing this, before slowly removing his hand. She tried not to make her now difficult breathing too obvious as she stepped around him and grabbed her backpack. She reached in and fished through it for a few minutes until she found what she was looking for: instant ramen. She held it out to him, displaying the large label which read very plainly, "Maruchan." It was in English, but she was pretty sure he could read it anyway. He seemed like an educated type of guy. Taiyoukai. Whatever.

He took the package in one hand, eyeing it suspiciously as it crinkled under his touch. "What is this strange substance?"

She grinned crookedly. "Ramen noodles. Food."

"No… What's this?" he inquired, poking the plastic wrapper distrustfully.

"Oh, that's plastic," she said.

"Where is it from?"

Her brows knitted together. "Well, my home, I guess."

"Then it is decided," he said, tucking the package of ramen into his sleeve.

Kagome was starting to feel a bit sick. "Er, what is?"

"I am going to your home."

-oOo-

**Wow! I was not expecting that to happen for at least another two plot arcs or so! Oh well, Kagome and Sesshoumaru need some alone time anyway ;) Btw, does anyone know how Kaede refers to Kagome in the Japanese version? I just put –sama here, but it seemed a little odd… Maybe –chan? I might be getting her and Sango confused! x.x**

**In case anyone didn't catch it, Maruchan is a ramen company in both Japan and America (not sure about other countries). Since Sesshoumaru's name ends in "maru" and an endearing or cutesy honorific in Japanese is "chan", he thought Kagome was making fun of his name. And no, I don't own Maruchan, nor do I want to. All those carbs would have me fatter than a sumo wrestler in two days flat.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews last time! You all are awesome (makes contented face). Good news! One of my friends heard I'm writing this fanfic and offered to illustrate it on DeviantArt (yay!). She might just do a few scenes from each chapter or she might do the entire thing—no idea where she is on that one. Can't make any guarantees for now 'cause she's quite the busy person, but I'll be sure to post the link when I do Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Crap I almost forgot this! Don't know if it's really necessary though since this is obviously a fan-made site… Oh well. I own nothing.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

"_Where is it from?"_

_Her brows knitted together. "Well, my home, I guess."_

"_Then it is decided," he said, tucking the package of ramen into his sleeve._

_Kagome was starting to feel a bit sick. "Er, what is?"_

"_I am going to your home."_

-oOo-

Chapter 3:

Inuyasha had protested, of course. It was to be expected. He was a protest-everything kind of guy. But no amount of yelling from Inuyasha or nagging from Kagome or "advising against" from Kaede could persuade Sesshoumaru that going to Kagome's home was a decidedly bad idea. The fact that the whole group would shut up like a clam whenever he "thought" it was odd that they were so insistent on him not going only added to his desire to go.

He informed them of this in the most stoic of manners, after all.

"Are you sure you really want to go?" said Kagome, looking at the taiyoukai that stood next to her.

"I do."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and climbed up onto the lip of the well before turning to look at him.

"Does the thought of me going to your home really make you so terrified you would attempt suicide?" he asked—you guessed it—monotonously.

Kagome stared at him blankly for a few moments, not comprehending. _Why would he say that…?_

He rolled his eyes at her. "Jumping into a well?" he supplied.

"What? Oh!" She laughed. "No, I'm not going to kill myself. This is how I go home." She frowned. "I'd assumed you'd picked up on that when you didn't say anything about me stopping here."

"You doubt my intelligence?" he said, his voice almost like a growl.

She gulped, shaking her head. "No way! I—I just didn't know…" She cleared her throat. This was getting out of hand. The more time she spent here chit-chatting, the less time she'd have in her time to get supplies and catch up on her schoolwork. "Anyway, the well isn't just a well. When the villagers slay demons they throw the remains in and after a few days they vanish. I'm from the other side, I suppose."

"Your homeland is a graveyard?"

"_No_, it's not, thank you very much," she said. "I'm from 500 years in the future."

"You're crazy."

"You know, I'm starting to regret putting this curse on you. At first it was sort of funny, but you're starting to get really annoying."

"Say that again and you're dead."

She snorted. "Thanks for the warning. But I digress." She steered her thoughts back to the matter at hand. "So, I know it's useless to tell you too much when you're in an obvious state of disbelief-slash-denial"—he glared at her and opened his mouth to say something else, so she plowed on—"so I'm just going to have to show you, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she added, "But don't kill anyone. People don't do that in the future. At least not the sane ones."

"Why not?"

She shrugged. "Laws."

"You have subjected yourselves to a pacifist government?"

She gave him an icy look. "_No_. We're not pacifist. We're just not fond of senseless killing is all."

"The youkai would never agree to that."

Kagome faltered, unsure of what to say. How could she tell him that in her world the youkai had all been wiped out? How could she tell him that, before she'd fallen through the well, she'd thought people like him were nothing but a myth? She held Sesshoumaru's gaze for a long time, silent. Where would he be in 500 years? She had no doubt he could survive the trek through time, but then again, if he was in the future, where was he? She'd never seen a youkai until she came back to the Feudal Era. Was it possible that humans had somehow banded together and killed all the youkai? Was that even feasible? Could Sesshoumaru really be conquered by numbers alone?

"You smell different from other humans," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, interrupting her racing thoughts.

She blushed. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good." He huffed, and she knew he hadn't wanted to say that.

The corners of her mouth lifted upward. "Oh-ho, so the great and powerful Sesshoumaru-sama has deemed my scent worthy of his nose, has he?"

He growled at her. "Don't test my patience, human wench."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said, crossing her fingers in front of her. "But if it preserves my life any longer, I might be the only way to remove this curse, so I'm worth more alive than dead to you at this point."

"I'm starting to think I could live with this," he said as he stepped up onto the lip of the well to join her.

"I don't think _I_ could," she replied, grinning. She held out her hand for him, and he took it. "Oh, and by the way, Sesshoumaru," she said. "Don't sniff." Then they jumped.

-oOo-

"You weren't lying," he informed her solemnly.

"What a surprise," she shot back.

"It smells awful here," he said. She looked over, feeling a bit worried. Inuyasha was always complaining about the smell, and he was only a half-demon. She couldn't imagine what it would be like for a full demon. If he hadn't mentioned it (chalk one up for Motormouth Curse) she wouldn't have known it was bothering him, but now that she was paying attention she could see the subtle tightening of his jaw as he fought not to betray his discomfort.

"I can take you back if you want," she offered.

"No. I want to see this world of yours."

"Fair enough. Just remember: don't kill _anyone_," she reiterated. "And don't pull your sword on them either. They won't take too kindly to that. You might end up with a bullet in your head if you do it to the wrong person."

"What is a bullet and why would it be in my head?" he asked as she tossed her backpack over the edge of the well and climbed after it.

"Uh, a little piece of metal that you put in a gun, and then the gun shoots it out really fast at a target," she said, hoping she wouldn't have to explain what a gun was too. She'd been over it who-knew-how many times with Inuyasha, who had taken a strange interest on the subject. He was probably just hoping to get his hands on some and beat up Naraku. She had to admit, it didn't sound like such a bad idea, except for the fact that her family didn't own any guns.

"What's a gun?"

"How did I know that was coming?" she said. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking, as Sesshoumaru leapt neatly out of the well and joined her by the shoji. "Well, it's a human weapon made out of metal. Just hope you never see one while you're here."

His eyes narrowed. "You believe it would harm me?"

"I don't know what it would do, but I'm not about to find out." She reached for the doors, but Sesshoumaru's hand was there first, blocking her way. She held back a squeak of fear as his eyes burned into hers.

"What sort of weapons do youkai use in this time, human?" he asked, his voice low and obviously angered.

"I—I don't know," she said weakly, her eyes dropping to the floor. He'd found out way before she'd thought he would. She shouldn't have tried to hide it from him. He was a freaking _dog_ demon—he was bound to sniff it out sooner or later, pollution or no. She kept forgetting who she was talking to. It was all this stupid curse's fault, making her feel all at ease because he couldn't hide anything from her.

"What happened to them?" he asked.

She met his eyes again, begging him to understand. "I don't know, Sesshoumaru. I really don't." She fiddled with the strap of her backpack nervously, knowing she had to come clean. "I don't know what happens between your time and mine, but here the youkai are gone. I'd never met one until I traveled to the Feudal Era. To us… To us, youkai are merely legends, myths. For all I know, this well could be the connection between not two times, but two dimensions. You might not be my past, or I your future, so there could be hope." _Not likely_. But it was an honest possibility. She had no real proof that the well was truly taking her to the past. It was just an assumption she'd made. For all she knew, she and Kikyou might simply be alternate versions of the same person. The uncertainty of it all was heavy and weighed on her mind.

A moment of silence passed over them. She wasn't sure what she should say—what she _could_ say. What did you tell someone when you'd just informed them that their entire species might simply cease to exist one day? It wasn't exactly an ice-breaker. Finally, the curse got the better of him. "Feudal Era?"

"It's what we call your time," she said.

He was quiet for another couple of seconds before releasing a minute sigh and stepping backwards. She continued to look at him for a few more moments, but his face had masked over like usual. It seemed when she'd said she wanted him to "speak his mind for once," she really did mean "for once." It was probably because he was such a powerful youkai that he could avoid the curse to an extent by thinking of nothing at all.

She turned back to the doors, setting her hands on the little crevices that served as doorknobs. Taking a deep breath, she pulled them open. "Welcome to the 21st century."

-oOo-

**Sorry for the short chapter, but I just couldn't find a way to continue and end it, since I'm trying to keep them around 2000 words. Whatever, y'know? Close enough. It was a filler chapter anyway, but I needed to get it out of the way. I promise more action next chapter!**

**If I am correct Inuyasha was actually written in the late 90's, but for all intents and purposes for this story takes place in the present day—the early 2010's (that sounds so weird to say…). As far as I'm concerned it just makes it a little less awkward to read, but it won't really change the storyline, so I suggest you don't worry about it**


	4. Chapter 4

**LOVE the reviews people. Thank you! Also, a forewarning: realistically speaking, I won't be able to release a chapter every day. It's just not possible. (My muse isn't _that_ awesome!) My family is going on vacation over Christmas, so I'll probably miss a week in there somewhere for lack of Internet, but I'll be right back in there after New Years! Hopefully I'll have some ideas saved up too ;)**

**Disclaimer: No characters in this story are mine; nor are their back stories… (Cue the sobbing, please.)**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_She turned back to the doors, setting her hands on the little crevices that served as doorknobs. Taking a deep breath, she pulled them open. "Welcome to the 21st century."_

-oOo-

Chapter 4:

Kagome had always wondered what was going on in Sesshoumaru's mind. Stoic guys like him had that effect on people. Over the past couple of days since the initial cursing had taken place she'd gotten to know him a little, and it hadn't been what she was expecting. First off, even in her wildest of imaginings she had never once considered his thoughts would be anything similar to Inuyasha's.

She'd been proven terribly wrong. The day immediately after she had cursed him, the whole group had been attacked by a gigantic serpent youkai. At the exact moment Inuyasha had yelled, "Die, damn bastard!" and swung Tessaiga around like a giant baseball bat (as per usual, of course, he had missed), Sesshoumaru had calmly said, "Die, damn bastard," and proceeded to kill it with one blow from Toukijin. It was eerie. Of course, Kagome had scolded Inuyasha for swearing in front of Rin and Shippou, but she couldn't very well do that to Sesshoumaru, for various reasons. The number one reason being that he would kill her. The number two being that it was sort of indirectly her fault. It wasn't _his_ fault he swore in his thoughts, after all.

Second off, with every off-handed, rude, cynically sarcastic comment he made, she had discovered that contrary to her beliefs he did have a sense of humor—it just wasn't a very strong one. But it was there just the same. No wonder he was quiet all the time. If he said anything people would be offended at the snide jokes he would make at their expense.

That was exactly what happened when Sesshoumaru saw Kagome's house.

"It's very small. I see humans have not progressed much from the huts of my time." She cleared her throat, shooting him an unhappy look, but he just said, "Careful what you wish for."

"I'll keep that in mind." Feeling a bit riled, she took a deep breath. _He can't help it, he can't help it, he can't help it…_ "Anyway," she said, pasting on a smile and stepping out of the well house. "Welcome to the Higurashi shrine."

"You live at a shrine, wench?"

"Yes. And by the way, if you call me 'wench' here people will get confused. It's a bad word here." She smirked. "My name's Kagome."

"Don't think you can lie to me, human wench," he said with contempt.

She huffed and glared at him. "Stop _calling_ me that."

"But you are a human," he said. "Why would I address you differently?"

"Because it's rude, is why."

"I don't see what's rude about calling you by your station."

Her cheeks burned. "My _station_?!" she hissed. "I don't give a crap about my _station_, okay? When I say call me Kagome, I mean it!"

His eyes narrowed. "You saying that only makes me want me to refer to you as 'human wench' all the more."

"Why?!"

"You amuse me."

_Keep it together, Kagome. He can't help it, he can't help it…_ She turned away, returning to tour guide mode. "Like I said, welcome to the Higurashi shrine. It's been in my father's family for over four hundred years. But I assume it was less than five hundred years, of course. It was founded in honor of the enchanted Bone Eater's Well and gifted to my great-something-grandfather, Tamago Higurashi, with the charge to keep it safe and never let it leave the family. So, here we are." She led Sesshoumaru to the front door of her house and opened it. "Mom!" she called. "Grandpa! Souta! You home?"

Silence answered her. _Weird._ Frowning, she entered the house and flicked on the lights. "Mom? Hello-o?"

"No one is in this house," said Sesshoumaru in his usual placid monotone.

_Oh, right, I have Mr. Supersmell here to sniff out anything I need._ She entered the room, gesturing for him to follow her as she went to turn on more of the lights. "When were they last here?"

"Two days ago."

"Hm. They must have gone somewhere… What's this?" she said, noticing a small piece of note paper lying on the counter next to the sink. She picked it up and read it.

_Dear Kagome,_

_Great news! Souta entered a raffle contest and won! The prize was a week-long trip to an onsen in Fukuoka! We left on Friday evening and we'll be back the following Friday morning._

_Souta picked up all your homework from school, and Eri made photocopies of her notes from the last few weeks of school that you missed for you. They're on your desk. I left some money in your room in case you want to go shopping for new food. Oh, and the ramen's in the pantry if Inuyasha gets hungry._

_By the way, if one of your friends shows up, you had Dr. Strangelove Syndrome. That's the one where your hand moves against your will._

_ Love,_

_ Mom_

"What is a 'raffle contest'? And who is Dr. Strangelove?"

Kagome shrieked, whirling around. Sesshoumaru had been looking over her shoulder, and now he was looking down at her with disinterest. She held a hand over her heart and exhaled. "Geez, don't do that! You scared me half to death." She shook her head. "A raffle contest is when a bunch of people put their names on pieces of paper and someone draws out one name without looking, and that person gets a prize."

His brows twitched slightly. "Why would anyone do that?"

Kagome eyed him. "It's not like it was _my_ idea. Stop acting like every weird thing about humans is an offense on my part."

"You are human."

"Yeah, one of, like, seven billion."

"You humans breed like rabbits."

She flushed. "That's not true." Before he could insert another crude comment she ducked around him, going to her room. "I'm going to go put my backpack away," she called from the top of the stairs. "You wait here."

"Hn."

_Hope he doesn't toast his hand or something. _She found her way to her room and opened the door. Her heart warmed at the familiar sight. Her adventures in the Feudal Era were priceless. She would never be able to replace the time she had spent there with Inuyasha and the gang. But somehow she was always drawn home to this room. Maybe it was because of the fact that her life was so hectic; she needed something to remain constant, and her room provided that for her.

Unfortunately, homework was another constant in her life. She blanched at the massive pile of notes and worksheets on her desk. She would have a _lot_ of catching up to do. She tossed her backpack onto her bed and unzipped one of the pouches, where she had stored all her homework and textbooks. She pulled out a folder in which she had stored all her assignments. She'd completed them ages ago, but Inuyasha hadn't let her come back to replenish her homework supply. She'd be starting her last year of high school (sort of) in only a couple weeks and she still wasn't done with her junior year!

There was another note on top of the pile of homework, this one from Eri.

_Hey, Kagome-chan, this is Eri!_

_I hope you're feeling better! Yuka, Ayumi, and I were all so worried. You can die from Parkinson's Disease, you know?_

…_Parkinson's Disease? Really, Grandpa?_ Sighing, Kagome returned to the note.

_Anyway, here's your homework for the rest of the school year, along with all my notes. Ayumi's better at English than me, though, so those are hers, and the History notes are courtesy of Yuka. __ Kawada-sensei wants you to come in over break to make up for the tests you missed though…_

_By the way, Hojo-kun's been asking about you! We practically had to beat him away with a stick! I mean, we all wanted to come visit you, but your Grandpa said your Parkinson's was a special kind that was contagious. o _

_XOXO, Eri_

Contagious Parkinson's Disease… Was that even possible? Kagome ran a hand through her hair, giving the pile of homework an apprehensive look. It was Sunday evening, right? Sesshoumaru had said two days… That meant she could take all her tests prior to the past few weeks that she'd missed—she'd studied for them super hard for the past few days—in the next two days that she was here, maybe take Sesshoumaru to library to look around or something, and be back in the Feudal Era by Wednesday morning.

Yeah, two days really meant two days and three nights to Kagome, especially when it came to a trip home. Inuyasha used to get really mad at her when she didn't show up exactly right on time back to the Feudal Era. He'd come chasing after her and demand her return (after he was completely full of Mrs. Higurashi's cooking, that is).

Things weren't like that anymore. Over the past three years they'd been on some great adventures and she'd seen so much more than she'd ever thought she would… but she'd also come to know that true love wasn't what she had with Inuyasha. Their love was too fleeting, too unstable. They'd be staring into each other's eyes one moment and she'd be "sitting" him to unconsciousness the next. It was just a childish fascination with love itself that they held—it wasn't real, and it wouldn't last.

_Crash._

Kagome groaned. There went the toaster. _Enough thinking about Inuyasha. I have an all-too-truthful taiyoukai in the modern era to take care of._ She hurriedly set down the note and abandoned her room, rushing down the stairs. When she entered the kitchen her eyes bugged out at the sight before her: Sesshoumaru, his eyes cold and ruthless, his sword drawn and pointing at…

…the toaster.

It was both hilarious and terrifying. Kagome opted for terrifying, so as not to piss him off further. "What happened?"

"This minor youkai attacked me." _Yeah, definitely starting to get hard to stay terrified._ "I asked it plainly how it was hiding its youki from me, and it refused to respond, so I tried to rough it up a bit and it suddenly attacked me." The funniest part was that he was totally calm about the whole thing. He spoke to her like one would speak about politics or money or what-she'd-like-to-order-for-an-appetizer, not like a taiyoukai who had apparently been attacked by a toaster.

Kagome cleared her throat, searching for words to say that wouldn't make him feel like an idiot and take his anger out on her other appliances. "Uh, well, that's a toaster, Sesshoumaru…sama. Like I said, there aren't any youkai in my time."

"Tell me, human, what is the function of this toaster?"

That was one thing she hadn't ever expected to hear him say. She couldn't suppress her grin entirely, but maybe she'd managed to pull off an only-slightly-amused face. "You use it to toast bread. To eat. Here." She crossed the kitchen and picked it up, setting it on the counter. "I'll show you."

And so the first thing Sesshoumaru learned about the future was a highly useful skill: how to make toast.

-oOo-

**Okay, so I'm a horrible writer who can't control her characters enough to make them do what she wants—big deal. FYI, these entire last two chapters were not in my outline. I didn't have Sesshoumaru visiting the present day for another loooooong time. But I can work with this. "Adapt and make new plans": that's my motto…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the late update! Finals this week (ugh).**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. T-T**

-oOo-

Last Time…

"_Tell me, human, what is the function of this toaster?"_

_That was one thing she hadn't ever expected to hear him say. She couldn't suppress her grin entirely, but maybe she'd managed to pull off an only-slightly-amused face. "You use it to toast bread. To eat. Here." She crossed the kitchen and picked it up, setting it on the counter. "I'll show you."_

_And so the first thing Sesshoumaru learned about the future was a highly useful skill: how to make toast._

-oOo-

Chapter 5:

_Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she squinted into the darkness. Her brow creased. "Hello?" Her voice was tiny in the empty space. "Hello? Is anyone there?"_

_Silence answered her. She turned around in a complete circle, straining her eyes to see something, anything. Nothing. Her body felt heavy, as if she was underwater, but she could breathe easily. She rubbed her eyes, thinking it might just be a trick of the light—or lack thereof—that she couldn't see anything._

_A small spark lit far off in the distance, and her eyes were drawn to it almost immediately. "Hello?" she called again. "Hello-o? Who are you?" She took a few steps forward. It felt like the whole world had been stained with pitch. She swallowed. Her breath was thick in her throat. Her footsteps quickened, but no matter how far she walked it seemed like the spark only grew farther away._

"_Hello? Who is it? Who are you?" she said, her voice growing more insistent as she broke into a run. Cold fear clenched her stomach. "Wait! Wait for me! Where are you going? Wait! Wait!"_

"Wait… wait… wait for me… wait…"

"Miko."

"Wait… wait…"

"Human."

"Wait… for me…"

"Wench. You have five seconds to move," Sesshoumaru growled. Kagome's eyes popped open. The first thing she noticed was that she was sprawled on her floor in a tangle of blankets and sheets. The second was that she was currently lying face-down on Sesshoumaru's stomach.

"Eep!" She shot up, scurrying off of him and drawing up the blankets around her person. "What are you doing?!"

Sesshoumaru glared at her, swiftly rising to his feet. "_Me_? You're the one who attacked me while I was resting."

"I attacked _you_?" Kagome scoffed to hide her embarrassment. "You're obviously confused."

"This Sesshoumaru does not become 'confused', human wench," he said.

"Humph." She turned up her nose, piling her blankets back on her bed. "Whatever."

"I am not confused," he said as she made her way out of her room and into her kitchen.

Ignoring him, she said, "What do you want to eat?"

"I am not confused."

"Okay fine, whatever, you're not confused." She rolled her eyes. "Like I said, what do you want for breakfast?"

"You were much more amusing when you argued," he said, and she could have sworn he might have sounded a bit disappointed.

Weirdo. "Toast it is," she said, pulling out a couple of slices of bread and sticking them in the toaster. "Anyway," she said, turning back around, "We need to figure out what to do with you. I have to go to school today and take some tests that I missed."

"Then I will go out and observe the humans."

"Uh, no, you won't," said Kagome immediately. She couldn't very well have Sesshoumaru, in full battle array, out and about in Tokyo. Everyone would think he was an overzealous anime freak—until he pulled out his sword, that is. Then he'd really get to know what a gun was. "You're staying here."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "Do not disrespect me, wench."

"Don't _call_ me that!" she snapped. "It's so rude! You're a guest here; you need to be more respectful." The toaster snapped up and she stood, leaving Sesshoumaru to think about that while she got the toast ready for them.

She'd forgotten for a moment that when Sesshoumaru thought, he also talked. "You are different from the human wenches in my time. None of them would have challenged me."

She shot him a look. "Well, you better get used to it. At least until this curse business is through." She set a plate in front of him with a piece of toast and jelly on it and a similar one in front of her. After that she got out some milk and poured two glasses.

"Is that cow milk?" said Sesshoumaru, sounding mildly disgusted.

She frowned over her shoulder. "Is there a problem?"

He sneered. "I do not drink milk, wench. Especially that of a lesser animal."

"Then what _would_ you like?" she said sarcastically.

"I do not require anything."

_He can't help it, he can't help it, he can't help it…_ With a deep, calming breath she sat down at the table, leaving his glass next to the sink. "As I was saying, you are not going outside of this house without me. You are simply too conspicuous, and the cultural differences are…" She searched for a word, but came up blank. "…big."

He glared at her. "I do not plan on spending the next two days in your home, wench."

"You will if you keep calling me that! My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me," she said. "Please use it." He didn't respond, and she gritted her teeth. "Like I said, you can go outside when you're with me. We'll go when I return from school."

"What is a school?"

"Well… you learn in it," she said lamely. She shook her head. "That's beside the point—"

"I will go with you to this school," he announced.

"What?! No way," she said. It was summer, so only those who needed remedial classes had to go, but she still didn't want Sesshoumaru going. Yuka and Ayumi went every year, good grades or no, because their parents were super-education-oriented. She did _not_ want them to see Sesshoumaru. "Hard to explain" wouldn't even begin to cover it.

"There will be no question," said the taiyoukai in question firmly. "I will go to school with you. It should be fine since you are there, right?"

"Wha—You can't just barge into a school one day!" she protested.

"I'm sure you can handle it."

_Ugh! He's so infuriating!_ She bit her tongue. She could just tell them he was a distant cousin who was visiting or something. But she had to do something about those clothes of his—and his tattoos. "Well, okay, I guess," she said in defeat. "But we have somewhere to stop first."

-oOo-

"I am wearing these strange clothes, and I covered up my tattoos because you said they were odd. But there is absolutely no way I am cutting my hair off," said Sesshoumaru.

Kagome gave him a look. "There's only a half hour until school starts. Please do not choose now to be uncooperative."

They were standing outside a salon down the street from her school. Kagome was in her school uniform (Sesshoumaru told her it made her look like her morals were even looser than that of a courtesan), and she had managed to force him into buying some jeans and a T-shirt and covering up his tattoos, but she was hitting a bump in the road with this whole hair thing. Who would have guessed that he was a total diva when it came to his hair? She sure hadn't.

"I have never cut my hair in my life, and I'm not going to start now," he insisted.

"Well, sorry, but around here long hair just isn't in." She gestured around her. "Do you see anyone else with long hair around here?"

"You have long hair," he said, his eyes narrowing.

"That's because I'm a girl, Sesshoumaru," she said. "Guys who have long hair in this time are just…" She stopped herself. No use going down that road. "Bottom line—you need to cut it. Besides, you have your whole life ahead of you. It's not like it'll never grow back."

"I'm _not_ cutting it."

She crossed her arms and stared at him. "If you don't, I will refuse to break the curse, and you'll be stuck speaking your mind your entire life. And I'll go back through the well without you so you get stuck here forever." She smiled sweetly. "Have we come to an agreement?"

He growled, stepping closer to her, and she took an unconscious step backward. Her back brushed the big window of the salon. His eyes were angry. "Do not threaten me, wench."

She balled her hands into fists and glared at him defiantly. "My world, my rules."

-oOo-

"Ooooh, Kagome-chan, who's _this_?"

Kagome winced. _I should have stayed home today._ She forced a smile. "This is Sesshoumaru. He's Inuyasha's older brother."

"Half-brother," Sesshoumaru muttered. Yuka wasn't even listening; she was too busy ogling the poor guy. Kagome told herself he deserved it for putting up such a fight at the hairdressers. She'd finally promised, on her honor, that the first thing she'd do when the jewel was complete was make his hair come back. It was sort of layered and about shoulder-length at the longest point. The hairdresser had salivated over the color ("Is that _real?_"). Kagome was still trying to get used to it. He just looked so… modern. It was weird, even if he did look like some sort of model.

Thank goodness she didn't have to say everything she thought.

Yuka was doing her fair share of salivating too. Ayumi was in a slightly less zoned-out state, and she was the one to move in on the questioning. "His _brother,_ hm?" she inquired with false innocence. "I see."

Kagome felt her cheeks color a bit. _Stupid cheeks._ "It's not what your thinking, Ayumi-chan," she said.

Ayumi's brows shot up in mock surprise. "What I'm thinking? What makes you think I'm _thinking_ anything, Kagome-chan?"

Yuka frowned, snapping out of her trance, and scooted closer to Sesshoumaru, who was sitting at the desk next to Kagome's. It had been empty, and the teacher was okay with him sitting there for the day. That might have been due to the fact that Kagome had told him Sesshoumaru was a prospective student, but whatever. Yuka fixed Kagome with a suspicious look. "You're cheating on Inuyasha? Don't you think you should be a little nicer since he's your _boyfriend_ and all? And you, like, _love_ him?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. Yuka was a little crazy when it came to boys.

Sesshoumaru looked at her, a small smirk on his face. "You _love_ him?"

She huffed. Was he teasing her? Because it sure felt like it. "I do not. Inuyasha's my friend. Nothing more, nothing less."

Ayumi immediately pounced on the subject. "Kagome-chan, you never told us about this!" She sighed dramatically. "And here we've been left in the dark, thinking you were still desperately in love with that ruffian."

Sesshoumaru made a sound that must have been his version of "dying of laughter." Kagome gave him a look, and he said, "Ruffian?"

She pursed her lips. "He's not _that _bad, and you know it," she said defensively.

"Oh, so you do like him," said Yuka.

"No, I don't!" said Kagome, beginning to feel a bit irritated. She loved her friends to death, but could they stay out of her love life for once? She shot Sesshoumaru a look to see how he had reacted to that, but his face was impassive. He was probably in the middle of thinking about nothing so he wouldn't say something weird. She caught herself and her gaze snapped back to her desk. It wasn't like she cared what he thought.

-oOo-

Eri had always been the placid, studious one in their group, Yuka the boy-crazy one, and Ayumi the theater-oriented gossip. Kagome found it was much easier to handle Yuka and Ayumi when they were in the presence of Eri, who kept them more or less on track. She silently vowed never to come back during summer, lest she find herself in a situation with only Yuka and Ayumi again. They had coerced Kagome and Sesshoumaru into joining them after school in a café to "chat". That was really code for "question" or "gossip" or "flirt with Sesshoumaru." Kagome's irritation at her friends was growing by the minute.

"So, Shou-kun," said Yuka, leaning against him conspicuously. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Kagome almost choked on her milkshake. She'd seen Yuka in action before, but was it normal for her to be this forward?

Sesshoumaru gave the girl a confused look. "What is a girlfriend?"

This time she really did choke on her milkshake. Ayumi gave her a worried look and patted her on the back. "Kagome! Don't eat so fast if you're going to choke on it," she scolded. Kagome gave her a withering look.

Yuka giggled. "Oh, Shou-kun, you're so funny!" she laughed.

"Yeah, Shou-kun, you're really funny," Kagome deadpanned.

Sesshoumaru gave her an icy look. "Say that again and you die."

Yuka's and Ayumi's eyes popped out. "Geez, Sesshoumaru, it seems to be getting late, and we were going to go to the library before it closes!" Kagome said hurriedly, slipping out of their booth and leaving her milkshake behind. "Sorry Yuka-chan, Ayumi-chan," she said, laughing nervously as Sesshoumaru disentangled himself from Yuka and rose to follow her. "Gotta run!"

-oOo-

**Aaaaaaand that's it for today! Again, sorry about the late update. Finals stink! Promise you'll have one tomorrow too .**


	6. Chapter 6

**LOL, I got a comment about the hair, but don't worry! It'll come back… eventually. You'll just have to see ;) but it definitely won't stay gone for long. It just sort of happened this way, but I can roll with this. I couldn't quite figure out how to describe it, so if you want a picture, it's sort of like Zero's from Vampire Knight (which I do not own). I still think Sesshoumaru is hot though, even without the hair XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha either… (sniffles)**

-oOo-

Last time…

_Yuka giggled. "Oh, Shou-kun, you're so funny!" she laughed._

"_Yeah, Shou-kun, you're really funny," Kagome deadpanned._

_Sesshoumaru gave her an icy look. "Say that again and you die."_

_Yuka's and Ayumi's eyes popped out. "Geez, Sesshoumaru, it seems to be getting late, and we were going to go to the library before it closes!" Kagome said hurriedly, slipping out of their booth and leaving her milkshake behind. "Sorry Yuka-chan, Ayumi-chan," she said, laughing nervously as Sesshoumaru disentangled himself from Yuka and rose to follow her. "Gotta run!"_

-oOo-

Chapter 6:

"Your friends are extremely vexing," said Sesshoumaru blandly. They were currently on their way to the library, having left Yuka and Ayumi at the café only a few minutes ago. "Are most girls in this time like that?"

"Some of them," said Kagome, her face grim. "Now do you see why I wanted you to stay behind?"

"I do. I am still glad that I came though."

She looked at him sideways, surprised. "Why's that?"

He smirked. "You amuse me."

Kagome made a face. "Watch out or I'll really start calling you Shou-kun," she mumbled.

"That is a stupid nickname and it makes no sense to call me that," he said.

"Hey, you're the one who calls me 'human wench' every chance he gets," she replied, her lips curving upward mischievously. "Shoooooou-kun."

"Do not call me that," he growled.

"Shoooooou-kun," she sang. "Maybe you should think about that when you start calling people names, Shoooooou-kun."

"Stop it."

"No way," she said. "I've found your weakness now, Shou-kun. Ah! Here we are." They had stopped in front of a tall, many-windowed building. Kagome couldn't remember the last time she'd been to the library. I had to have been years ago—before she fell through the well. She was almost excited to be going. No doubt experiencing history first-hand would give her a new perspective on some of the books. It certainly did when she had to write a report on Japanese mythology last year—while she was living it.

Sesshoumaru, even his modernized self, received plenty of odd looks as they walked through the library, pulling random history books off the shelves. Kagome glanced at him discreetly from under her bangs. It had to be the eyes, she decided. That and the hair. Even though it was significantly more normal-looking now, it was still pretty attention-grabbing, in all its silver glory. _I wonder if it's soft…_ She averted her eyes, mentally smacking herself. Now was not the time to be daydreaming about his hair.

"You find my hair interesting?" he said softly from behind her.

She grimaced. _Curse that youkai vision of his._ "The color is nice."

He was silent for a moment as she pulled another book, this one on World War II, off the shelf, and set it on top of the pile in his hands. "I am a silver inutaiyoukai, so I have silver hair," he said. "All my family had the same."

She didn't miss the past tense he'd just used. "You speak as if they are all gone."

"They are," he said, his voice hardening a little.

She frowned, looking over her shoulder at him and stopping her search for a book on post-World War II politics momentarily. "Inuyasha is your family, even if you don't like him much."

His jaw clenched. "He abandoned the Western lands. He has no right to call himself a son of my father."

Kagome's brow creased. "I thought he was driven out because he was a hanyou."

"There are many established hanyou in the court of the West. All he needed to do was prove himself and he could have easily found a place for himself there." His eyes narrowed. "But he did not. He ran away with his tail between his legs because he was unwilling to do the work needed to gain acceptance."

Kagome paused at his words. Her voice was quiet when she responded. "I didn't know that."

"What did he tell you?"

Her mouth opened and shut silently. "He never told me anything. I just... heard stuff from Kaede-baachan."

"He neglected to tell you," Sesshoumaru stated.

"I... I guess he did," she said. She looked at the stack of books in Sesshoumaru's hands. "I think that's enough."

"You think so?" he said, cocking an eyebrow at her.

She grinned. "I'm sure it'll be enough to keep you busy while I'm taking more tests tomorrow."

"You plan to steal these books?" he asked her.

"No!" She noticed an old woman giving her a mean look as they walked to the checkout counter and lowered her voice. "No. This is a public library. We can check these out and keep them for up to three weeks."

"Aren't they afraid people would steal them?"

"Well, I guess it happens sometimes," said Kagome, shrugging. "I've never heard of it happening though."

"Hn. You humans have become more civilized in this age."

Kagome resisted the urge to sigh. "Heh. What an improvement."

-oOo-

Yuka and Ayumi, of course, were devastated when they saw that Sesshoumaru wasn't at school. (Yuka was decidedly more devastated than Ayumi.) Kagome ignored their antics, forcing herself to focus on her tests—she had nine tests to take in one day, but at least after this she'd be all caught up. By the time she returned home, she was completely exhausted. _Time for a nice, hot shower and tomorrow I'll be out of here._

At least, that would have been nice. If Sesshoumaru had been there when she got home.

"Sesshoumaru?" she called out, even though she knew it was no use—he was long gone. The house just had that empty feel to it. "Sesshoumaru?"

Nobody answered. _Crap._

"Sesshoumaru, if this is a joke, you can stop," she said. "It's not funny." The silence rang in her ears. _Crap. Crap, crap, deep crap._ Discarding her backpack at the bottom of her steps she turned heel and dashed out of the door. _Oh God, what am I going to do? What if someone says something rude to him and he threatens to kill them? What if he _does_ kill them?!_

Not quite knowing where he would have gone, she picked a direction at random and took off, checking in all the shops along the way and standing on tiptoe to catch sight of a certain taiyoukai with silver hair and golden eyes. It had been painfully hot all day, but now the sky was becoming overcast, shadowing the heated earth with a blanket of clouds. The humidity in the air was almost tangible, pressing down on the hoards of pedestrians and condensing to their hairlines.

Kagome's feet pounded against the pavement as fear pooled in her stomach. _No, no, no, no, no! He can't just be gone. He can't!_ A stitch lodged itself in her abdomen, but she disregarded it. People shot her looks that varied from annoyed to angry to creeped out—why would some girl be running along in her school uniform on the hottest day of the year?

Panic overcame her as several minutes of running and pushing innocent bystanders out of the way produced no results. Where _was_ he? Why couldn't he have just stayed home? Why couldn't he just listen to her? He had plenty of books to read…

She skidded to a halt. Books… that was it! Without another thought she turned heel and bolted in the opposite direction. The sky had begun to darken more significantly now, the clouds roiling and emitting sounds similar to that of an upset stomach. The crowds were thinning, and people were looking up at the sky through squinted eyes. Just as she was rounding the corner to the library, the skies split and the rain came crashing down. Several shrieks filled the air at the sudden downpour.

Kagome slipped under the library's alcove, her breathing labored and her lungs burning, and doubled over with her arms wrapped around her stomach. Shouldn't all that running in the Feudal Era have helped her some? She felt like she hadn't exercised in months, and just a few days ago she'd been hiking across the wilderness of Japan.

When she had caught her breath she straightened and looked around. About fifty feet down the street a man with a long, silver braid was walking away, holding an umbrella over his head as he talked on his phone. _Sesshoumaru?_ Her eyebrows drew together and she took a step forward before she remembered that Sesshoumaru didn't have long hair anymore. Shaking her head, she turned away and faced the library, crossing her fingers. _Please let him be here, please let him be here, please-please-please-please-please…_

The library was a massive structure, seven stories total, but she was pretty sure she knew where he'd be, assuming he was here. She headed straight for the fifth floor, taking the steps two at a time. She passed a couple on the steps who gave her funny looks. She frowned but continued going. What was their problem anyway? She emerged in the history section and was flooded with relief when she saw Sesshoumaru seated at one of the tables, leaning back in the chair and reading a book. The girl behind the desk, a young woman in her 20s, was practically drooling over him, and Kagome rolled her eyes, striding over to the taiyoukai and putting her hands on her hips.

He glanced up and immediately his eyes widened a fraction of an inch as they took in her clothes. "Your shirt is completely see-through," he said.

Kagome made a shocked noise and looked down at her clothes. Sure enough, she was completely soaked. How had only a few seconds in the rain resulted in this? Her hair was dripping wet, too, and drops of moisture fell off her bangs and onto the carpet. Crossing her arms over her chest and blushing faintly, she fixed Sesshoumaru with a defiant glare. "You left."

"I ran out of books to read."

"There were nineteen of them—nineteen!" she hissed. "You can't read that much in one day! It's just not human!"

He smirked, obviously amused. "I'm not a human. Or did you forget?"

She huffed and turned up her nose. "Human or no, it's impossible to read that much so quickly."

"Maybe for you, but for me it is quite simple."

Kagome inhaled, anger making her lips curve downward. "That doesn't mean you should leave, though. I was worried to death!"

Sesshoumaru's face hardened slightly. "I am not a fool like my half-brother, Kagome."

She blinked, taken aback first because she hadn't expected him to adjust so easily to the times, and second because… "You called me by my name."

He seemed a bit surprised for a moment, as if he hadn't realized it himself, and returned to his book. "I didn't intend to use your name, so don't get used to it. You're still a human wench, whether you like it or not."

Kagome's lips parted into a little "o" before her face brightened into a smile. "Sure thing, Sesshoumaru."

-oOo-

**Yay! I'm done with another chapter! I'm actually pretty happy with this one. Inspiration hits when you least expect it ;) A whole new plot twist just got added in. Hope this doesn't get too long though…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Yay! Another chapter! I'm feeling much more inspired now that I'm not dragging my feet through school every day ;) This chapter marks the official end of the "Sesshoumaru in the future" arc. But don't worry! I still have plans… as always…**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I know—it's depressing.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_"You called me by my name."_

_He seemed a bit surprised for a moment, as if he hadn't realized it himself, and returned to his book. "I didn't intend to use your name, so don't get used to it. You're still a human wench, whether you like it or not."_

_Kagome's lips parted into a little "o" before her face brightened into a smile. "Sure thing, Sesshoumaru."_

-oOo-

Chapter 7:

"OH MY GOSH SESSHOUMARU YOUR HAIR IS—!"

"SIT!"

Inuyasha crashed to the ground. Shippou fell silent midsentence. Sango giggled behind her hand. Miroku didn't even bother to conceal his humor. The two had been "sparring" (Miroku's idea, of course) for the past few minutes while Inyasha and Shippou argued nonsensically before Kagome and Sesshoumaru had shown up.

"Oi! What was that for, Kagome?" yelled Inuyasha, dragging himself out of his usual crater. He jabbed an angry finger at Shippou. "_He_ was talking, not _me_!"

Kagome laughed nervously as Sesshoumaru said, "I am glad I do not have a subjugation necklace also."

"Why you little—!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome cut in, "Don't make me say it for real this time."

Inuyasha fell silent, shooting Shippou a look that said he wouldn't get away with this, and Kagome smiled sweetly, shrugging off her backpack and leaning it against a tree. She'd bought a new, lighter one for the trip to Kyoto, and now the only things inside were a three-week supply of granola bars, some salt, pepper, and condiments, a couple changes of clothes, reusable water bottles, her school books, and cooking supplies. And her camera, of course, because no way was she going to Kyoto without her camera. Oh, and a list of places to go in Kyoto she'd printed off the Internet.

Okay, so maybe she was a bit of an over packer, but it was still an improvement.

"I'm all ready to go if you want to leave now," she said as Shippou bounded forward and leapt onto her shoulder.

"Feh," said Inuyasha.

"You should say what you think or say nothing at all," said Sesshoumaru from beside Kagome. "Those noises make you sound like you have a low IQ."

Kagome snorted. When had he learned that? Probably in some science book about Albert Einstein or something.

"Be quiet," he told her.

"Fat chance of that," she said, grinning. Miroku glanced between Kagome and Sesshoumaru, a strange expression on his face.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Inuyasha gruffly. "Let's go!"

-oOo-

"I do not know if leaving Rin behind was a good idea," said Sesshoumaru. Kagome was walking beside him at the back of the group, but Shippou wasn't on her shoulder anymore. They'd gone back to Edo before officially setting out so Kagome could retrieve her bow and arrows from Kaede's hut, and when Sesshoumaru had informed Rin that she would be staying behind, Shippou had decided to stay too.

"Don't worry," said Kagome. "Hardly any youkai attack that village anyway, and if they do Kaede will take care of them."

"I'm not worried," said Sesshoumaru condescendingly.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You'd think this whole curse thing would let you be honest with your feelings, but I guess you can still lie to yourself if you try hard enough."

He shot her a frosty look. "I do not lie to myself."

She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Then why do you doubt if it was a good idea to leave her behind?" she asked. "She isn't exactly an asset of any sort—you can't gain much from a little girl, I'm sure."

"You humans of the future are far too logical," he informed her.

She smirked. "Why thank you."

"You also have the strangest definition of a compliment."

Sango stared over her shoulder at the pair who made up the back of their group. Miroku nudged her in the side and whispered in her ear, "His hair's not _that_ good-looking."

Sango flushed beet red. She was still getting used to this whole "Miroku's allowed to be somewhat flirtatious with me because we're engaged now (sort of)" thing. "That's not—I wasn't looking at his hair."

"Oh, then you were looking at something, were you?"

She smacked him playfully on the arm. "I was, actually, but it doesn't have to do with his looks." Her face grew thoughtful. "Don't you think he and Kagome-chan are acting a bit… familiar all of a sudden?"

"Ah, Sango-chan," said the monk, draping his arm over her shoulders and enjoying the way she tensed at his touch, the way she was aware of him. "I was thinking the same thing myself."

"But… Sesshoumaru-sama is so… cold and evil," said Sango. "He doesn't act familiar with anyone."

Miroku sighed wistfully. "We all come to that point in our lives," he said knowingly, "When we realize there are exceptions to the rules." He grinned fondly—and, Sango would say, a bit lecherously—at his fiancé.

She gave him a withering look as soon as she felt his hand begin to slide down her back, and he sweat-dropped, immediately raising it up and patting her hair. "Just making sure your ponytail was secure," he said.

"I'm sure," Sango said sarcastically. She looked over her shoulder again at her friend and the now short-haired taiyoukai who strode stoically next to her. Every once in a while he would say something, his expression unchanging, and Kagome's head would jerk sideways to look at him, her cheeks reddening in protest or mock anger.

_They look so comfortable together,_ Sango thought, turning back around. She was met by the sight of Inuyasha's red-clad back, and her brows pressed together in a frown. She hoped the miko's newfound friendship with Sesshoumaru wouldn't be yet another curse in disguise for the hanyou.

_Kikyou returning from the dead, Kagome being Kikyou's reincarnation, losing control when he's separated from Tessaiga, and now the curse Kagome put on Sesshoumaru._ Sango's eyes fell to the ground. Inuyasha had had enough curses to last a lifetime.

-oOo-

_So she has the power to curse,_ thought Naraku, watching as the miko laughed at something Sesshoumaru had said. His eyes scanned the two as they walked together at the back of their little group. This new development was interesting, to say the least. He had never expected the miko to be powerful enough to curse someone. The only miko he'd met with that kind of power was Tsubaki, and her powers had come from darkness. Kagome's power, however, was not drawn from an outside source. It came from within her, and, though unrefined, was sharp and dangerous in its purity.

It made him nervous just to be around her.

Something about this whole situation felt off to him though, as if there were some piece of the puzzle he was missing. He didn't like the feeling, not one bit.

"Where is the undead miko?" he asked Kanna.

"She has shielded herself," came the ghostly reply. "I cannot see her."

Naraku's face hardened. It seemed Kikyou's usefulness was finally beginning to lessen. He'd need to kill her soon, before she became a real nuisance to him. "Fetch Kagura," he told the emotionless girl. She nodded, exiting the room in her usual slow, smooth gait.

He watched her retreating back. Her usefulness was quickly fading also. The only reason he kept her around anymore was because of her mirror's ability to act as a spy on Inuyasha's group. Her emotionless face irked him more than it should have these days. He much preferred a slave such as Kagura, whose defiance was obvious. He knew exactly the extent of Kagura's hatred towards him, and he could therefore control it, but Kanna was a different case entirely. He didn't know what she felt, if she felt at all. Her neutrality was a hindrance to him and his purpose. Not to mention the fact that she couldn't be used as a weapon against Kagome anyway because her soul was too large to fit into the mirror.

His eyes darkened as he heard Kagura's footsteps at the end of the hallway outside his door. There it was again—that feeling. What was he missing?

The door slid open, revealing the wind youkai in her usual kimono, her fan held loosely in her hand. She regarded him with contempt. "What is it, Naraku?"

He didn't like that she referred to him so informally. "You will find Kikyou," he said. "Inuyasha and his group are heading south-west. She may be following them."

Kagura had to force down the anger that rushed through her. How dare he use that tone with her? She swallowed her retort, keeping her voice a steady monotone. _Now is not the time. That will come—later._ "Kanna cannot see her?" she asked.

"She has shielded herself," he responded, looking away. "Go."

_Why don't _you_ just go?_ she thought, clenching her teeth. "Yes… Naraku." Before she could say something she would regret, she left, cursing him internally as she went, and shut the door behind her. She despised the dark hanyou with all her heart, but there was nothing she could do to oppose him. Her heart was his—literally.

She reached the end of the hall and rounded the corner, only to be met by her reflection in Kanna's mirror. She flinched internally before telling herself to relax. The void child wouldn't harm her. She was her sister, no matter how emotionless, right? She gazed at her reflection, noting that she looked a bit older than the last time she'd seen herself. It was all Naraku's fault. She had been a powerful youkai before he had enslaved her to his power, with pride and dignity. She wouldn't have aged, had she gone on living as she was. She would have remained young and beautiful forever. Now she had been reduced to slavery. Her connection to Naraku, a mere hanyou, had forced mortality upon her. Small creases had already begun to appear at the corners of her eyes. It was sickening, to know that she would age and die just like any other pathetic hanyou.

Finally she tore her eyes away from the mirror and met Kanna's lifeless gaze. "What's wrong, Kanna?"

"You… hate our master," she said softly. "Why?"

Kagura frowned at the girl. Since when did she question her, or anything for that matter? "He bound us to servitude," she said. "I had a life before I came here, and I want it back more than anything."

Kanna looked at her blankly for a long moment. Kagura thought she might respond, but she didn't. Typical. She brushed past her, going to the doors at the end of the hallway and sliding them open. As she stepped out onto the porch she heard Kanna's faint footsteps following her. A few seconds later the girl was standing next to her under the alcove of the rear of Naraku's palace, staring up into the eternal moonless night created by Naraku's miasma.

"I did not have a life before Naraku brought me here," said Kanna suddenly.

Kagura looked over in surprise. She'd never heard Kanna say something so… normal. Admitted, what she'd said wasn't the height of normality, but it was certainly less creepy than usual. "How could you not have a life before?" she inquired, genuinely curious.

"I am Void," the girl responded. "I am not meant to have a life." She looked at Kagura, her eyes almost sad. "I am the absence of all matter and feeling. That is why I do not feel—I was never meant to."

Kagura felt a strange pinch in her chest where her heart should have been. Funny that even though her heart was gone she still had emotions. The same couldn't be said for Kanna. She tore her eyes away from the girl and looked at the sky again, bringing her hand to the bun at the back of her head and removing a feather. "I must go." Kanna nodded and watched as her sister disappeared into the darkness.

-oOo-

**Wow, this chapter started out funny and ended really sad and creepy. Sorry 'bout that! Had to get all that sad stuff out of the way at some point. On the bright side, another plot twist just got added in! This is turning out to be one of those projects that you think is simple until you start it. LOL, as if any of my books aren't like that XD.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews people! Keep 'em coming ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_Kagura felt a strange pinch in her chest where her heart should have been. Funny that even though her heart was gone she still had emotions. The same could not be said for Kanna. She tore her eyes away from the girl and looked at the sky again, bringing her hand to the bun at the back of her head and removing a feather. "I must go." Kanna nodded and watched as her sister disappeared into the darkness._

-oOo-

Chapter 8:

The first week of their journey passed uneventfully—almost suspiciously so. Usually they'd at least be attacked by some minor youkai looking for the jewel, but nothing happened. Inuyasha was beginning to grow increasingly antsy, and the whole group knew he was about one hair shy of a breakdown. Who knew fighting youkai could be so stress-relieving?

Fortunately for Inuyasha, they didn't have to wait much longer.

Sesshoumaru halted abruptly and scented the air. Kagome, who had been walking next to him, stopped a few feet ahead and gave him a puzzled look. "Neko youkai," he said just as Inuyasha also pulled to a stop.

"Finally! I was beginning to think there was something wrong with the shards!"

Kagome rolled her eyes just as triplet whirlwinds tore into the path in front of them. Inuyasha drew his Tessaiga. Sesshoumaru placed a hand on his sword, but he frowned as the dust began to clear. "They don't appear to be hostile."

A gust of wind whooshed outward from the whirlwinds, blowing Kagome's hair into her face, and when it cleared there stood three small neko youkai in its place. They looked at her in unison with matching faces of awe and determination. "Miko-sama!" the one in the center chirruped as they all fell to the ground in matching kneels. The entire group's heads jerked around to stare at Kagome, who was just as confused as them, except for Sesshoumaru who merely looked at her with a raised eyebrow and said, "Miko-sama?"

Kagome shrugged and turned to the neko youkai. Their features were identical and youthful, similar to the point that they must have been triplets. They were even wearing the same clothes—short-sleeved kimonos and their hair tied back into low ponytails. The only difference between them was the color of the small triangular ears adorning each of their heads: one had black fur, one was cream-colored, and the one in the center was colored a pretty reddish-bronze. Kagome cleared her throat, searching for words, but drew a blank, so she just repeated what they'd said to her. "Miko-sama?"

"Haaaaaaai!" they said at the same time, raising their heads to look at her. Kagome resisted the urge to flinch—they were three loud kitty-cats.

"Er, what?" she said intelligently.

"Miko-sama!" said the bronze-eared youkai, gazing at her adoringly. "We have waited five hundred years for your return! Please, let us serve you!" The other two chimed in their agreement.

"Wait—wha—five hundred—what?" stammered Kagome.

"Oi!" said Inuyasha gruffly. "Is this some sort of plot to get the Shikon?" He gripped Tessaiga, looking as if he wished it _was_ a plot, just so he could just get some fighting out of the way. "'Cause if it is—"

"Oh, _no_, Miko-sama," the neko with cream-colored ears said earnestly. Kagome noted that her voice sounded a bit more strained than the others', as if she naturally didn't speak loudly but was forcing it. "We wouldn't dream of stealing anything from Miko-sama."

Kagome winced as her voice wavered. "Don't talk so loud if you can't," she said, frowning.

She didn't know what she'd expected to happen, but the neko's eyes filling with tears as she fell completely prostrate to the ground wasn't it. "Thank you, Miko-sama!" she said, her voice significantly more quiet. "Only the great Miko-sama would be so kind as to notice this poor neko's troubles."

Sesshoumaru made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a snort. When Kagome glared at him he said, "You never fail to amuse me, _Miko-sama._"

She crossed her arms. "Likewise, _Shou-kun._" Inuyasha's eyes bulged. Sango stared at Kagome. Miroku smirked.

"Don't call me that, human wench," Sesshoumaru growled, towering over her.

Before she could respond a blast of air blew between them and suddenly the three neko were standing in front of her, forming a barrier between her and Sesshoumaru. "Do not call our Miko-sama so disrespectfully!" said the bronze-eared neko angrily.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, his hand traveling to his sword once more. "Do you want to die?"

"Oooookay," said Kagome, darting past the trio and standing in front of Sesshoumaru. She looked at the neko. "No need to get nasty. We're just a bit confused is all."

The three of them exchanged glances. Sesshoumaru informed the group that he was not, in fact, confused, but they ignored him and shifted out of their battle stances and returned to their kneeling poses. The black-eared neko lifted her head and spoke to Kagome with a serious voice. "Miko-sama, I know you do not remember us now. You told us that the next time we saw you, you would not remember." The others nodded their agreement.

Kagome shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person…"

"Miko-sama!" said the bronze-eared one with zeal. "Do not doubt us. We would know your power anywhere!"

"Feh," said Inuyasha, sounding a bit grouchy. "Kagome's powers aren't that great."

"Inuyasha," she said. His mouth opened hastily to apologize, but she didn't give him the chance. "Sit." He slammed to the ground.

The neko cheered. "Good job, Miko-sama! Way to go!" they exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically.

"Maybe we should keep them around," Sesshoumaru deadpanned.

"Hey!" yelled Inuyasha from his crater.

Kagome paid the hanyou no mind, returning to the neko. "I really think you're mistaken," she said, her voice apologetic. "I'm really not that powerful. I think you have me confused with someone else. I don't even know who you are."

The cream-colored youkai puffed up her chest. "Miko-sama," she said softly. "You told us yourself that in five hundred years your soul would return, and that, though you wouldn't remember us at first, we should still stay with you."

Kagome felt something sinking in her stomach. _Why is it never me?_ "The one you're looking for is Kikyou," she said. "I'm her reincarnation. I'm actually from another five hundred years in the future. And by the way, you're about fifty-three years too late." She looked around at her companions. Sango and Miroku were looking at her with sympathy. Inuyasha was doing all he could _not_ to look at her. She didn't look at Sesshoumaru. She didn't want to know what he was thinking.

Too bad she was going to find out anyway. "That undead miko smells bad." She looked at him now, surprise written across her face, and he continued. "You smell much better, Kagome."

Her heart stopped and started again. She felt her cheeks grow warm, and she whirled around so he wouldn't see and focused on her friends who were currently staring at Sesshoumaru in shock. "Let's go," she said, brushing past the three neko and continuing down the dusty road.

"Miko-sama, don't leave us," the cream-colored youkai cried.

She kept her gaze focused on the road ahead when she responded. "I'm not the one you're looking for." With a few last glances at the trio, the rest of her group followed after her in silence, but Sesshoumaru remained, regarding the neko youkai's dejected expressions. The black-eared youkai noticed him and frowned.

"What do you want?"

He paused for a long moment. "I don't know," he said finally, turning away.

-oOo-

"They are following us, you know," Sesshoumaru told Kagome. Two days had passed since their little run-in with the trio, and the Kagome's mood still hadn't improved. It was just another bruise on her already black-and-blue ego, that she'd been once again mistaken for Kikyou. She didn't dislike the undead miko, no matter how many times she'd tried to off her, but if there was one thing she hated more than anything else it was being mistaken for her. That had been the final straw with Inuyasha, and it was starting to really irk her that yet another person—or in this case trio of neko youkai—had mistaken her for her previous incarnation.

She sighed. "They'll figure out sooner or later that I'm not the one they're looking for." Her eyes fell to the ground. "I'm never the one anyone is looking for," she muttered.

"I don't know why anyone would want to look for the undead miko," said Sesshoumaru. "She smells awful."

"Because she's super-powerful, super-pretty, and super-smart, that's why," she huffed. "That's all anyone cares about, anyway." She looked at him wryly. "There aren't many people who would judge a person by their scent."

Sesshoumaru's face remained unreadable, but his voice betrayed humor. No wonder he hadn't talked much before. Kagome hadn't realized how much you could read someone's emotions just by their voice. "Obviously my half-brother is not one of those people."

Kagome grinned. "Obviously."

"He is only a half-breed, after all," said Sesshoumaru, his tone becoming serious once again. "His smell is slightly dulled. If he were full youkai he would be able to smell emotions too, and he would not love that undead creature."

Kagome's brow wrinkled. "That's not very nice."

"I don't concern myself with things like being nice," he said. "But it is true. Without the rest of her soul she has no emotions but the last things she felt. She is consumed by her anger and desire for revenge. Even if she had a human body she would not be human."

Her eyes returned to the ground. She and Sesshoumaru had once again fallen to the back of the group, with Miroku and Sango in the middle and Inuyasha at the front about forty paces ahead of everyone else. She watched as her and Sesshoumaru's footprints erased those of her friends.

What would it be like, she wondered, to only be able to think about one thing—revenge? What would it be like to be stolen from your grave and made to walk the earth again, even though your time had come and gone? She certainly wouldn't want that fate, nor would she wish it on anyone else, and it was made worse by the fact that Kikyou didn't even have a complete soul. She touched her chest, remembering the feeling of her soul being drawn out of her that day, and the feeling of it whooshing back inside. She was only grateful she had somehow avoided all the side-effects of a shattered soul.

"You pity her."

She looked up. Sesshoumaru was regarding her with a detached sort of interest. "Yes," she said. "I pity her."

"She is undead. She stole a part of your soul and seeks the rest. She took what little of the jewel you had and gave it to Naraku." His eyes traveled to his half-brother. "Inuyasha is in love with her. Why would you pity her?"

"I… I just… I wouldn't want to be in her place." The corners of her mouth tilted downward when she thought about what he'd said. "And I don't care that Inuyasha is in love with her. I'm over it."

"I hope so."

Her head jerked up to look at him. "What?"

His expression was neutral, but his eyes told her he was appalled at himself. "You are always sad when Kikyou is mentioned," he said. "You smell like a wet cat when you are sad."

"Hey!" she protested, punching him on the arm.

He glared at her. "That is the first and last time I will allow a human to get away with that, wench."

She smiled innocently, but she couldn't dispel the thought that Sesshoumaru had sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

-oOo-

**Oooo does that count as fluff? 'Cause I have no idea what the technical definition of fluff is xO By the way, for all you Kikyou-haters out there, be warned that she does play a significant role in this fic, and for all you Kikyou-lovers out there, be warned that, yes, she does act like a bitch most of the time ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

"_I don't care that Inuyasha is in love with her. I'm over it."_

"_I hope so."_

_Her head jerked up to look at him. "What?"_

_His expression was neutral, but his eyes told her he was appalled at himself. "You are always sad when Kikyou is mentioned," he said. "You smell like a wet cat when you are sad."_

"_Hey!" she protested, punching him on the arm._

_He glared at her. "That is the first and last time I will allow a human to get away with that, wench."_

_She smiled innocently, but she couldn't dispel the thought that Sesshoumaru had sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as her._

-oOo-

Chapter 9:

The undead miko had eluded the wind witch for some time now, and it was starting to get on her nerves. She was the wind; every particle of the earth's atmosphere was hers to command; she should have been able to find one stupid miko, especially in an area as small as Japan, but somehow Kikyou had managed to shield herself from her. However, she could not return to Naraku empty-handed, so instead she sought out Inuyasha's group.

They had been headed on a south-east course for the past week-and-a-half now. She didn't know where they were going, but it didn't take much time following them from a distance (shielding her scent from the inuyoukai and his half-breed brother) to find out that they were headed to a monastery in Kyoto for some reason or another. Maybe there was a shard there. Who knew?

Kagura watched as they walked along the dusty road. It hadn't rained in what, two months? The air was parched and dry. She was for a moment grateful for the miasma that surrounded Naraku's palace to the north—at least the humidity was normal there. She immediately cursed herself. How could she be grateful to that vile hanyou? He had stolen everything from her through her enslavement. She would do anything to see him dead.

Her eyes narrowed at the taiyoukai and miko bringing up the rear of the group. Since when did he travel with Inuyasha's little posse? And since when did he talk to anyone, much less that human miko? Kagura huffed, observing as he said something in a low tone to the girl, and she laughed in response. It was so unlike him to be associating with that group—especially that miko! If it wasn't enough that she was human…

Kagura shook her head, clearing it of thoughts. She would worry about men and jealousy later, when she was free of that leech Naraku.

Subtle movement on the forest floor several hundred feet behind the group caught her attention, and she focused in there, waving her fan and letting the wind shift so she could hear the conversation the trio was having.

"_Why doesn't she believe us?"_ a soft voice asked. _"Did she really forget about us?"_

"_Don't be silly, Shizuko,"_ came the rather loud response. _"Miko-sama told us that she'd remember eventually if we just gave her time."_

Kagura raised an eyebrow, her eyes flitting to the taiyoukai at the back of the group. There was no way he wasn't hearing this, so why didn't he call the trio out for following them? _It's probably that miko girl distracting him or something. _She returned to the conversation.

"…_Himeko?"_ the soft voice was asking.

"_She will remember in time," _came the calm response. _"As soon as she is reunited with her soul."_

Did they mean the part of Kagome's soul that was in Kikyou? Then Kagome must have been the "Miko-sama" they were talking about. But what did they mean by "she will remember in time"? Kagura tried to listen in more, but they had fallen silent, so, with a last glance at Inuyasha's group, she lifted off.

_Time to hunt down the undead woman._

-oOo-

"Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!" Kagome giggled and spun around for perhaps the millionth time that day. "I can't believe I'm in _Feudal Era Kyoto_! It's just too awesome!"

Inuyasha made an annoyed sound. "Come on, Kagome, you're holding us up. We need to find that monastery and get this bastard to go a—Hey!" He stopped short as she whipped out a camera and began taking pictures left and right. They had stopped in front of a large temple, and the frequent temple-goers were giving her odd looks. He heard one whisper in another's ear, "That girl's a magician!"

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Humans are so stupid." Kagome disregarded his comment and continued snapping pictures. She had been in Feudal Era cities before with Inuyasha and the gang, but never one as famous and basically cool-looking as Kyoto.

"Come _on_, Kagome," Inuyasha complained. Being in this big of a crowd with nothing but a hat covering his ears was making him restless. It wasn't fair that Sesshoumaru could make his markings go away and pass for a human. He found he liked him better with his hair (if at all). "We gotta go find Sango and Miroku!"

"Don't be such a worrywart, Inuyasha," she said, taking a picture of the giant statue at the front of the shrine. "They'll be fine. Worst case scenario, they'll have to go to more than one place to find some rooms for us."

She stepped back and tilted her camera sideways for a full-length picture. A little kid pointed at her and said, "Mommy, it's a magic girl!" The mother in question looked horrified and ushered the child away, giving Kagome a death glare. _Guess some things don't ever change._

After a few more moments Inuyasha gave up and stormed off, leaving Sesshoumaru to fend for himself. Sesshoumaru watched as the young miko continued to take pictures of the most mundane things. When she took another picture of the Buddha statue, the curse won out. "Why are you taking pictures of a shrine when you live on one?" he asked.

Kagome looked at him with bright eyes. "Because this is a shrine _in Kyoto. In the Feudal Era,_" she said in awe.

"What is so special about Kyoto?"

"It's, like, the one place I actually _want_ to go in this time," she said. "All the history. All the temples. All the houses. And the imperial palace!" She spun around again, throwing her arms out. "I love it!" But Kagome was Kagome, and Kagome was something of a klutz, and she wound up smacking someone in the face. She turned around, her eyes wide in horror and her mouth forming apologies a mile a minute.

"It seems you love it a bit too much," Sesshoumaru remarked as he watched the miko apologize profusely to the extremely short, elderly monk. The man himself didn't seem to be bothered—the miko hadn't been spinning _that_ quickly—but Kagome paid no heed to his lack of anger at the situation and continued to beg his forgiveness as if she'd just murdered his entire family. The monk looked on from under thick eyebrows with a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Finally she calmed down enough for the monk to get a word in. "You… you are a miko, are you not?" he asked her. His voice was scratchy and betrayed an age even older than his appearance.

Kagome blinked at his sudden question, falling silent for a moment as her brain processed what he was saying. _You are a miko… _"Huh? Ohhhh, okay." She laughed nervously. "Sorry. Yes, I'm a miko. How did you know?" she asked him curiously.

He chuckled to himself. "I have spiritual powers also, young miko."

"Really?" she asked. "I have a friend who's a monk." _But he's a bit of a lecher. And a con artist._

His brows raised. "Is that so?"

She nodded. "He is one of those traveling with me. We heard the library at the monastery here is very extensive, and we came to see if we could do research there."

The monk smiled kindly, reminding her suddenly of her grandfather. "Then you have smacked the right person in the face, young miko. I am the head of that particular monastery."

Kagome wasn't sure whether she should be happy or horrified that she'd just hit the head of the monastery they needed to find right in the face. "I—I'm so sorry for that," she reiterated.

He laughed. "That is quite okay, young miko. We all have our moments."

"I seem to have them more often than others," she murmured, scuffing her shoes against the stone.

"I have but one question," the monk asked. He frowned at her clothes. "Why is a miko not wearing traditional clothes? They are much more appropriate—in more ways than one—than those clothes."

"I… I have my reasons, Houshi-sama," she said, a bit embarrassed.

He studied her for a few moments before letting it go. "What is your name?"

"Kagome," she said.

"Well, Kagome, why don't we go see about finding you and your friends a place to stay? Are they around here?"

"Oh, Sango and Miroku—he's the monk I mentioned—went off looking for a place to stay, and Inuyasha followed after them, but Sesshoumaru should be around here somewhere." She looked around, standing on tiptoe to see over the crowds. At last she caught sight of a patch of white hair that stood out against the black-haired masses. She glanced back at the monk. "There he is. Come on!" She turned away and took off, the monk following after her as they maneuvered through the crowd.

When they reached Sesshoumaru he looked up, a bored expression on his face. He hadn't been able to hear their conversation due to the noise around the temple. "Is he trying to make you reimburse him?" he asked, shooting the monk a cold look as he placed his hand on the hilt of Toukijin.

Kagome waved her hands in front of her face. "No, no, of course not!" she said. "This is the head of the monastery we were looking for."

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered to the monk, but his hand didn't fall from his sword. "He seems rather short."

"You travel with a _youkai_?" the monk asked.

The taiyoukai stared down at him. "Better than traveling with a _human_."

"You be quiet," Kagome snapped at Sesshoumaru.

"It's your fault, wench," he said.

"I already said I'm sorry!" she shot back.

"Sorry doesn't fix anything."

"So you'd rather I jump up and down congratulating myself?!"

"That would be amusing, but you would certainly die."

"Kagome-chan!" She turned to see the other three members of their group approaching. Sango was smiling. "We didn't find a place to stay, but we found the monastery. It's only a few blocks away." The taijiya slowed when she saw the monk. "Who's this?"

"The head of the monastery," Kagome replied. "I kind of… smacked him in the face."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You did WHAT?"

"A taijiya, a monk, a hanyou, a youkai, and a miko." The monk shook his head. "What a rarity."

"Houshi-sama," Kagome implored, turning back to him. "I know it's a lot to ask, but may we please have a look around your library? There's a… situation we need to research."

The monk's eyes sparkled. "And what, pray tell, would this situation be?"

"Eheh… well… I kind of accidentally put a curse on Sesshoumaru," she said, gesturing to the taiyoukai.

"Some accident," he said evenly.

"A curse?" The monk's forehead wrinkled. "This _is_ interesting. How can a holy miko curse someone?"

"Well, I—" He held up a hand, silencing her.

"You will tell me at the monastery. I'm afraid an old man like me has a hard time hearing in these crowds, and it looks to be a long tale indeed."

Kagome's face lit up. "So we _can_ use your library?"

"Of course. Everything in it you are welcome to." He smiled warmly. "I would also like to hear the tale of how the five of you came to be traveling together. How about we discuss everything over supper?"

She grinned. "You have no idea how great that sounds."

-oOo-

**Two chapters in one day! I'm so awesome (sighs in amazement at herself). See ya!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Swamped with reviews! YAAAAAAY! Like I said at the beginning, don't be afraid to critique me; it helps me be a better writer and this be a better fic ;) (Oh, and if you're wondering why I always make winky-faces instead of smiley-faces, it's because Word auto-changes smiley-faces to little emoticons, but they don't show up when I upload.) In response to kitsune-snuggler12's review, don't worry! This gets pretty serious eventually. I just haven't found much for them to be serious about at this point, what with the whole curse thing and all. We all love our Sesshoumaru in denial though ;)**

**Disclaimer: Sorry for forgetting this for the last two chapters, but I own nothing.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_Kagome's face lit up. "So we _can_ use your library?"_

"_Of course. Everything in it you are welcome to." He smiled warmly. "I would also like to hear the tale of how the five of you came to be traveling together. How about we discuss everything over supper?"_

_She grinned. "You have no idea how great that sounds."_

-oOo-

Chapter 10:

As per usual, Kagome did the talking. As she related their tale to the monk, the rest of the travelers settled down and began eating, save Sesshoumaru, who merely sat in the corner, inserting comments here and there. Kagome found herself telling the monk more than she had planned, from her true origins to the part of her soul that now resided in Kikyou's clay body. She couldn't help it—it felt like she was talking to her own grandfather. Maybe she just had a soft spot for old people. She finished with her and Sesshoumaru's trip to the future and the appearance of the trio of neko youkai and fell silent, waiting as the monk contemplated what she had told him.

Finally he spoke. "You said you _wished _Sesshoumaru-sama would speak his mind for once?" he asked, sounding almost troubled.

Kagome nodded. "So I guess we can add another line to the list of 'Cool Powers Miko Get When They're Angry'."

The monk shook his head. "I don't think so. Miko cannot simply 'wish' that something will happen. That's not how holy powers work, or dark powers either, for that matter," he said. "Usually the only miko capable of cursing are dark miko, who have summoned a youkai and formed a contract with them—power for their soul."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but the monk once again held up a hand to silence her. "I know you have not done such a thing, Kagome, or your aura would be that of a dark miko." He paused. "Your aura is not the same as any holy miko I have seen though, and I have seen many miko in my lifetime. You are truly unique." His eyes traveled over Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha in turn. "It seems when you 'curse' someone you leave trace elements of your aura on them. I believe this is the reason Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru-sama are able to pass through the well with you."

Sesshoumaru's brow twitched. "Then I am walking around with her aura on me?"

Kagome shot him a look. "You don't have to sound so annoyed about it."

"I have a human's aura on me…" he said to himself.

"More like she stamped you with a part of her aura," said the monk. "Your aura is still clearly visible—light gold. But now it has some pink around the edges."

"So, if I follow you, that's what's keeping the curse in place?" asked Miroku, having finished his meal.

"That is correct."

"But how am I supposed to _remove_ my aura from his?" said Kagome. "I don't even know how it got there. It's not as simple as Inuyasha's curse—all I have to do to remove his is get rid of his subjugation necklace."

The monk sighed. "It is not possible for you now. Your powers are strong, yes, but you are not trained. You would likely reinforce the curse, making it even stronger. Sesshoumaru, I presume you have been meditating almost constantly to prevent saying anything and everything you think?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes. Would this cause that to be impossible?"

"I believe it would." He looked at Kagome. "Or it could completely reverse it. I don't suggest taking that chance, though. It's too risky."

"What do you suggest, Houshi-sama?" Sango asked. "We naturally must return to our search for the shards soon."

"Hm… I'm sure you have heard of a shard that has appeared somewhere in Kyoto?" The group nodded, and he continued. "While you search for it, I suggest Kagome stay here and train. The monastery is a safe place for the Shikon shards, and whoever is in possession of the one here in Kyoto may sense the others and come looking for it here. What better place to lure a youkai than a monastery? The monks here are highly trained."

The group exchanged glances. Inuyasha seemed a bit reluctant, but Kagome looked at him with pleading eyes, and he finally consented. She smiled happily. She hadn't had much time to train with Kaede because she was always out shard-hunting with Inuyasha, and this was a great chance to hone her powers. Plus, while she was here she'd have access to a great library; maybe she'd come across another way to break the curse.

"That sounds like a good plan to me," said Sesshoumaru.

Inuyasha glared at him. "No one asked _your_ opinion."

"You're forgetting I don't need to be asked anymore, half-brother," the taiyoukai replied.

Kagome laughed uneasily. "Maybe we should get started right away."

-oOo-

The next couple of weeks flew by in a blur of training, research, and shard-hunting. Every day for two hours before dawn Kagome joined a group of monks training in hand-to-hand combat. The head monk informed her that all the monks at this monastery were trained in martial arts for discipline and strength. It was tough going. Even though it was a beginner-level class, the rest of the students had obviously been training for a year at least, and the entire two hours consisted mainly of her getting beaten up by boys who were Souta's age. Those little suckers were _fast_.

After breakfast the head monk trained her personally in channeling her spiritual powers. This wasn't as exciting as she'd thought it'd be, as most of what they did was meditate. At first she'd questioned how effective this would be, but once they got started she developed a new respect for all those monk-on-a-mountain-with-a-super-long-beard guys—it was harder than she'd thought. But she had never walked away from a challenge before, and she wasn't about to start now, so she always tried her very best to focus on… focusing on nothing.

The head monk told her that it would be more difficult for her than most because her soul was not whole, and she could definitely feel the effects of that. She hadn't really noticed before, but now that she was going through serious training she could feel the shattered edges bouncing around inside of her, never quite filling her entirely. She wondered vaguely what it must be like for Kikyou, who had gotten a considerably smaller portion of their soul.

After lunch she joined the rest of her friends in exploring Kyoto in search of the shard, but no luck had come their way so far. Oh, she could feel the shard tapping at the back of her mind, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. It was as if no matter where she went in the city it was the same distance away, always behind her, tickling her consciousness, like an itch that wouldn't go away. When she tried to explain this to Inuyasha he had said it was all that meditating making her shard-detecting go wacky. She had promptly "sat" him into the road. He'd spent hours filling in the hole to appease an angry old woman who lived along that street.

Sesshoumaru spent most of the time they spent there in the library, poring over books on miko and spiritual powers and the Shikon no Tama. Very little information was offered on curses, however, except that the only miko who were known to curse were dark miko who had sold their souls to very powerful youkai in exchange for power. There were detailed explanations of various curses and how their respective rituals were enacted, but none seemed even remotely similar to Kagome's curse.

First of all, the curses listed in the books were all along the lines of causing extreme pain or controlling the subject (he refused to think of himself as a victim), but Kagome's curse on him was different. It never caused him any pain, other than the pain of having all the thoughts he had so preciously guarded revealed. Also, it said that the person who was the subject of a curse would likely suffer illness or even die, but if anything he had felt stronger these past few weeks, as if she was lending him her power in some way. He wasn't sure he liked that idea; it was the reason he had never sought out the Shikon no Tama—he didn't want to rely on anyone or anything else's power to make him strong. He was strong on his own, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Regardless of his feelings on the matter, it was obvious that this was no ordinary curse. The books he read also said that usually the subject would feel out of place, as if he had been invaded by the curse's power, and be able to detect the curse within him as if it was a tangible thing, but Sesshoumaru didn't feel that way. It was as if, instead of forcing the curse upon him, she had changed his very nature to fit her purposes.

In addition to the nature of dark curses, there was something else that was bothering him. In the books it detailed long, complicated rituals to curse someone, along with the ways the curse must be changed depending on the subject: Was he male or female? Was he youkai or human? What kind of youkai was he? Was he a human with spiritual powers? Had he been cursed before? How powerful was he? Upon finding the simplest curse—one that caused the subject's hair to change colors randomly—he calculated the time it would take to curse him.

Three months. It would have taken a dark miko three _months_ just to make his hair change colors at random, and Kagome had somehow managed to make him go against his very nature in a matter of seconds.

The fact that she was a holy miko was even more puzzling. It said in the books that, due to the dark miko's powers blending with those of the youkai, dark miko were naturally more powerful than most holy miko. He checked multiple books, but they all seemed to agree on that point, so why was Kagome able to curse him in less time than it would take a dark miko, even though she was holy? The monk had said her aura was not that of a dark miko, and Sesshoumaru couldn't see her making a contract with a youkai anyway, but he'd also said that she had an aura unlike that of any holy miko he'd seen. Through his research Sesshoumaru found that humans with spiritual power had blue at the center of their auras, and the stronger they were the darker it got. Normal humans had normal auras that changed according to their mood, and youkai had different auras depending on how powerful they were.

He smirked when he read that the most powerful youkai had light golden auras, but his satisfaction quickly faded when he remembered that the monk had said that Kagome's aura had left a pink mark on his. "I don't remember there being any mention of pink auras in this book," he muttered under his breath. It was his new technique to one-up the curse: say everything you think, but really quietly, so that no one could hear it. It came in handy when he was around humans, whose hearing was naturally lacking.

He went to researching auras after that, but there was no mention of any auras that were pink anywhere in the books he read. Kikyou's powers, he remembered, were blue, so he assumed that was an indication of her aura, but Kagome's were definitely pink.

"This is useless," he murmured, his lips barely moving. "I'm getting nowhere." He returned his large stack of books back to the shelves one-by-one. "I wonder if she's made any progress with the monk so we can be rid of this curse and I can get back to my life."

But for some reason that didn't sound as appealing as it had before.

-oOo-

**Like I said, we all love our Sesshoumaru in denial ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Early chapter! I know, I know. (Holds up hands casually.) I'm awesome.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

"_This is useless," he murmured, his lips barely moving. "I'm getting nowhere." He returned his large stack of books back to the shelves one-by-one. "I wonder if she's made any progress with the monk so we can be rid of this curse and I can get back to my life."_

_But for some reason that didn't sound as appealing as it had before._

-oOo-

Chapter 11:

"What's that you're reading?"

Sesshoumaru looked up to see Kagome looking at the book in his hands with interest. She was dressed in more conservative clothing than her usual modern school uniform, opting rather for clothing similar to the traditional miko clothing, only with dark blue hakama instead of red. He found he liked these clothes better on her than her school uniform.

Of course, his thoughts didn't stay personal for long, as the curse immediately kicked in, causing him to say, "These clothes look better than your old ones." He winced internally. Why did the curse make him say the rudest of things? It seemed like it picked and chose the things to make him say that would make him look like the biggest jerk.

Kagome smiled in that infectious way of hers and said, "Thanks! Houshi-sama gave them to me," she said. "He even said I can keep them!"

"I can't imagine why," Sesshoumaru said dryly. He almost smirked when her smile became a little strained. Why was it so amusing to make this girl angry?

"Aaaaanyway," she said, "Have you found anything useful yet?"

He looked back at his book. "Only that nothing seems to make sense." He closed the book, standing, and she followed him as he wove between aisles of books, returning the stack he'd had on the table to the shelves.

She was silent for a long time, seeming like she had something to say but didn't know how to say it, so Sesshoumaru remained quiet, waiting for her to find her words.

After a long moment Kagome finally blurted out, "I'm sorry."

He looked back at her. "For what?"

"You know what for," she said. "For cursing you! For screwing up your entire life just because I was pissed off at Inuyasha!" She twisted her hands guiltily as she began to talk faster and faster. "This is all my fault. If it weren't for me you could be off doing, well, whatever it is you do when you're not busy trying to break a curse, and—and you wouldn't have had to leave Rin alone with only Shippou and Kaede to protect her, and your hair wouldn't be gone just because I was in one of my moods 'cause you being in the future was kind of stressing me out, and—"

"Kagome."

She stopped abruptly, blinking in surprise. Sesshoumaru looked at her calmly and said, "You talk far too much."

Her cheeks grew hot and she crossed her arms. "I do not."

He returned to re-shelving the books, picking out others that seemed promising. "You are also very confusing."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "That better be a compliment," she remarked.

"I do not compliment human wenches," he responded.

"Well I don't usually take compliments from rude youkai like you, _Shou-kun,"_she said.

"I told you not to call me that."

"_I_ told_you_ not to call me a human wench!"

They glared at each other. She drew herself up to her full, albeit measly height, her hands in fists at her sides. "It's rude and impolite and demeaning, and I don't like it," she continued. "I've asked you multiple times not to call me that, but still you refuse. I don't care how you feel about humans _or_ women. I won't allow you to call me that, and that's final."

His eyes flashed and he growled threateningly. "You will 'allow' this Sesshoumaru to refer to you as I see fit, wench."

"Don't call me that!" she exclaimed. "Is it so hard for you to call me by my name?"

"Yes."

She resisted the urge to pull her hair out. "WHY?!"

"I only refer to my packmates and those of a higher station than me as such," he told her coolly. "Since you are neither I have no reason to do so when regarding you."

_Slap!_ He froze, shocked, when he felt her hand make contact with his face, leaving a faint sting of holy powers in its wake. She was looking at him angrily, her face reddening in her ire. "You are such an ass, Sesshoumaru!" she spat, causing him to flinch internally at her tone. He mentally scolded himself. She was just a human; she didn't scare him. But there was something about the look she gave him before she stormed away that made him sorry he'd made her angry.

-oOo-

_I can't believe him!_ Kagome fumed._I'm of a "lower station" than he is? Give me a break!_ She stomped down the steps of the monastery and blended into the people passing by. It was early afternoon; they had just finished lunch, but the rest had not come back from shard-hunting yet, so she struck out on her own, hoping to walk off her anger.

That was freaking likely.

_How dare he?! I'm _not _of a lower station than he is! _After a thought, she reluctantly admitted_, __Okay, well, maybe he does own a fourth of the country, but that doesn't give him the right to call me names!_ She huffed, annoyed. _Okay, Kagome, remember what Houshi-sama said. Control your anger... control your anger..._ She took deep breaths, feeling the powers swirling in her calm. All that meditating for the past three weeks was finally paying off.

Kagome sighed. Three weeks. They'd been here for three weeks. They never stayed so long in one place. Never. She was missing boatloads of homework and tests back home, for sure. Even if they left now she'd have missed seven weeks' worth of school. At least she hadn't missed much since it was summer vacation, but the vacation only lasted a month. She'd finished all her homework over the past five weeks, and was in the middle of preparing for her tests. But no way was Inuyasha leaving without the shard.

She stopped in front of a well. There was a long line of people lined up with wooden buckets for their turn for fresh water. There were multiple wells all over the city; Houshi-sama had told her they were all interconnected beneath the city because of the groundwater. It was like the entire city was built atop a lake.

The shard was here. She could feel it, just on the farthest edges of her subconscious. The suspense was killing her. It was all around her, like it had somehow dissolved into the air itself to hide from her. Where had those rumors of a shard come from anyway? She closed her eyes, concentrating on the familiar draw the jewel had on her, like it always wanted to be touching her. There it was, in every person who walked past her, in every particle of air she breathed, far below the earth's surface. Her head ached. What the hell was going on? Why couldn't she pinpoint the location? Over the past three weeks her skills had improved dramatically, and even before she'd begun training at the monastery she'd been able to sense the shards pretty accurately. So why couldn't she feel it now?

A shout went up from a place near the front of the line, and Kagome glanced up to see that a man in his thirties or forties was yelling at a tiny girl who looked to be only about six years old. "What do you think you're doing, bitch?" he snarled. Heads turned as some people drew closer to them, abandoning their places in line to watch the impending spectacle. More people darted to take their places. Shorter people looked over the shoulders of those in front of them.

The girl cowered. "I—I didn't do anything," she stammered.

"Don't lie to me," the man growled, towering over the girl. "You jumped in line for the well."

Kagome pushed through the crowd that was forming around the girl and the man. She heard someone whisper the word "orphan" behind their hand.

"I'm sorry!" the little girl was crying. "I didn't butt in line, I swear!"

"Stop lying, bitch!" He raised his hand behind him to hit her, but at that very moment Kagome burst through the tight circle surrounding the two.

"Stop!" she cried.

The man paused, turning his head to glare at her menacingly "And who are you supposed to be?" His eyes widened slightly when he took in her clothes. Although her hakama was not the traditional red, they were still noticeably the clothes of a miko. But then they narrowed again and he crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at her. "Stay out of this, miko. This is none of your business."

Her eyes sparked in anger and she put her hands on her hips. "You_ made _it my business when you threatened to hit an innocent girl!" she said.

He leaned closer. "Back off," he said.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as his rancid breath blew in her face. If there was one thing she could not stand about this era, it was the sanitation. "Not likely."

With a growl, he raised his hand behind him, obviously intending to punch her. She ducked at the last moment, the survival instincts she'd built over the past three weeks kicking in. The top of her list? Dodge and weave. The man was a significantly larger opponent than she was used to, as she'd been practicing with a bunch of twelve-year-olds most of the time, but she figured if she could just land a couple nice blows to his stomach she and the girl could escape into the crowd while he was still surprised.

The man hadn't been expecting her to dodge, and was thrown off balance by the misplaced momentum of his rather sloppy punch. Without waiting for him to regain his footing, Kagome quickly kneed him in the stomach. When he had doubled over she darted around him and kicked him sharply in the back of the knee, and he stumbled to the ground.

Before the crowd could react she dashed over to the surprised girl and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!" she said. The girl nodded and raced after her as they wove their way through the crowd. All eyes were on them as they left, but they swarmed back together behind them, just as Kagome had hoped they would.

They continued running for several streets and, praying they had lost anyone who might have followed them, ducked into an alley between two relatively tall buildings to catch their breath. Kagome was in relatively good shape from all the exercise over the past week, but somehow the whole "breathe correctly when you run and you won't burst your spleen or something" thing had escaped her, and now she grasped her middle, gasping to regain her breath. The girl was in a similar condition, and was leaning against the wall across from her, breathing heavily.

"I—I think he's gone," said Kagome breathlessly.

"Thank you," said the girl.

Kagome waved one hand in front of her. "No problem," she said. "What that man said was totally uncalled for."

The girl hung her head. "I get picked on a lot because I don't have any parents," she murmured sadly.

Kagome's brow creased in sympathy. "You don't have any siblings, either?"

"Well, I have a sister, Kita, but I haven't seen her in years."

_Years? How old is this girl?_ Kagome brushed the thought aside and straightened. "Why don't you show me where you live? I can walk you home."

The girl's face lit up. "Really? Thank you." She frowned. "But I have to stop by a well on the way back. It'll take a long time to get there because of the line."

Kagome shrugged. She had the entire afternoon to kill. Inuyasha would certainly be mad at her for missing their daily shard-hunt, but he'd just have to deal with it. It wasn't like they were making extremely good progress anyway; she could afford to miss one day. "It'll be fine," she said. "I have time." She looked down at the girl who was now smoothing her sleek bob, which possessed neatness uncommon to this era. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Minami. And you?"

"Kagome," she said.

Minami smiled. "That's a pretty name."

Kagome returned the gesture and thanked her as Minami led her out into the street.

-oOo-

**Okay, so it's official: Wi-Fi rocks. I don't know if I'll be able to update daily like usual, but I'll definitely try. See ya! Don't forget to drop a review on the way out.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay! 100 followers! (Jumps up and down while clapping hands.) Thank you for all your support, be it in the form of reviewing, favoriting, or following this story! NOW I'M ALL INSPIRED! ACK! ;)**

**By the way, sorry for the late update. In my defense, it was totally the computer's fault.**

**Disclaimer: I don't have anything to my name. Anything.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

"_What's your name, by the way?"_

"_Minami. And you?"_

"_Kagome," she said._

_Minami smiled. "That's a pretty name."_

_Kagome returned the gesture and thanked her as Minami led her out into the street._

-oOo-

Chapter 12:

"Have a seat. Would you like some tea?" asked Minami as they entered her small home.

"Sure," said Kagome, sitting down at the small kotatsu in the center of the room. The house was one room, containing the kotatsu, a futon, and a small fire pit off to the side, as in Kaede's hut. Minami poured some water into the pot above the fire pit and struck a fire with two stones of flint. Kagome watched as she did so, wondering again how old she was, how long she'd been living all on her own here. She had to be around six years old, maybe ten by a stretch. How did she manage to support herself all alone?

"Kagome-sama," said Minami, disrupting her thoughts. She looked up at the girl, who was looking at her, a strange expression on her face. "You needn't worry. I am perfectly fine here."

"But… that man at the well," said Kagome. "I get the impression that's not a strange occurrence for you."

Minami took her seat at the kotatsu across from Kagome. "It's okay. I'm used to it."

"But he almost hit you!" said Kagome indignantly. "It's not okay if you're in danger."

Minami cocked an eyebrow at the miko. "I've survived thus far, have I not?" Kagome fell silent, not sure what to say, and Minami continued. "You are the miko of the Shikon?" she asked suddenly.

Kagome blinked. "How did you know that?"

"Rumors. You'd be surprised what you hear when you're invisible," she said.

"What kind of rumors?"

Minami stood, returning to the water. "That the Shikon no Tama has returned. That the miko charged to protect it is a strange girl from a foreign land whose clothes are rather… odd. That she travels with a hanyou in search of the shards." She looked up, meeting Kagome's eyes. "That there is a shard here in Kyoto."

Kagome's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, there is, but there's something wrong with this whole situation. We've been here for three weeks and still we've got nothing."

"You can't find the shard?"

Kagome shook her head. "It's like it somehow dissolved into the air." She waved her hand loosely. "I've never seen anything like it. The weirdest thing is that it's not tainted. In fact, it's as pure as the ones I've already purified. There's no way a youkai is behind this."

Minami nodded, handing her a cup of tea. Kagome thanked her and blew off the steam as Minami sat down again. "Do you have any idea what kind of person could be behind this?" she asked.

"Not really." She frowned. "Come to think of it, the only person who'd be able to do something like that would be someone with holy powers."

"Anyone you know who'd be capable of something like that?"

"No, not really. I don't know of anyone else who can—" Kagome's hands froze, her wooden cup halfway to her mouth. _No way…_

"Kagome-sama?"

She stood abruptly. "Sorry, Minami," she said hurriedly. "I have to go. Um, thanks for the tea. I'll see you around!"

The miko whirled and dashed out the door, leaving Minami sitting at her kotatsu, staring after her. The reed door swung shut behind her, and a ghost of a smile graced the small girl's face as she watched the door become still. She'd have to tell her sister about this.

-oOo-

Kikyou stopped suddenly. Her grip on her bow tightened as the wind witch stepped out from behind the tree in front of her. Kagura smirked. "Kikyou," she greeted. The undead priestess's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing, so Kagura went on. "You have been elusive lately."

Kikyou's expression remained unchanging, and Kagura fought the urge to frown. This miko was creepy—she was almost as bad as Naraku.

"Naraku wishes to speak to you," Kagura said boredly.

"I am not at his beck and call," Kikyou intoned, shooting the youkai an almost meaningful look before turning away.

Kagura snarled. How dare she insinuate that she was at Naraku's "beck and call"?! Her eyes burned as with a flick of her fan razor-sharp half-moons of wind tore towards the undead woman. Kikyou didn't even turn as the blades were reflected off an invisible barrier the miko had erected around herself.

Kagura's eyes widened and she darted out of the way of her own attack. She swore, sending another host of blades in Kikyou's direction, but they simply whooshed into the trees, slicing leaves off branches and causing random lacerations in the trunks. Kikyou had gone.

Kagura cursed again as she lifted off into the air, her eyes searching the forest before her. It had taken her weeks to find that miko, and as soon as she had she had slipped through her fingers once again. Naraku was going to be pissed. She flew over the place where Kikyou had stood, extending her senses for the miko, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"_Kagura."_ The woman flinched and tensed at the sound of Naraku's voice in her head. He continued. _"Why have you not brought Kikyou to me?" _he asked, his voice clearly angry.

"She's found a way to become invisible to my senses," Kagura said.

"_That is no excuse."_

She rolled her eyes. "If I can't sense her, I can't sense her. It's as simple as that."

"_You have had five weeks, Kagura," _he growled.

She swallowed the anger at his commanding tone, at his lack of an honorific when using her name. "Inuyasha's group is in Kyoto, at a monastery," she said. "They are being tailed by three neko youkai, but they don't seem to be hostile."

"_Neko?"_

"Yeah. Cats, you know?"

"_I'm well aware of that," _the voice snapped. _"Who are they? Why are they following them?"_

"They seem to be following the miko," she replied. "They refer to her as 'Miko-sama' and say she's forgotten about them for some reason, and she'll remember when she's 'reunited with her soul'."

"_Why are they in Kyoto?"_

"I don't know. Maybe there's a shard there they're looking for."

"_I see."_ A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. _"Return to the palace."_

Just like that, the presence in her mind disappeared and she was alone once more. She tensed as the familiar emptiness that followed each of Naraku's intrusions into her mind flashed through her head. She gritted her teeth against the anger that spiked through her. Someday she was going to be rid of Naraku. Someday, she would be free.

-oOo-

"Houshi-sama!"

The monk looked up as Kagome threw open the shoji. He and Sesshoumaru had been bent over his desk, examining a large, heavy book. The monk opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.

"You had better have a good explanation for this!" she shrieked, jabbing a finger at him.

Sesshoumaru's brows shot up, his eyes darting between the miko and the monk. "Explanation?"

The monk smiled gallantly. "So you finally figured it out. I am proud of you, young miko."

A vein popped on her temple as she charged forward. "Why would you _do _that—why? Are you crazy?!" She stopped next to his desk, her eyes blazing. "And why didn't you just _tell_ me? I've antagonized over this stupid freaking shard for weeks. Weeks! Three of them! You realize what else I could have been doing for the past three weeks?!"

"And instead you have been here, training your holy powers," the monk inserted. His eyes twinkled in a way that clearly meant he had to be insane. Critically so. "I don't think it has been a total waste of time, do you? After the rain, earth hardens," he continued before she could say anything else.

She gaped at him for a full five seconds before finally sputtering, "You're worse than my grandpa with all your double meanings and spiritual mumbo-jumbo!"

"What exactly are you talking about?" asked Sesshoumaru, his voice clipped.

"This lunatic"—she pointed at the monk again—"has known all along where the shard is because he's the one that put it there! And now he's avoiding the question!"

"Now, now, Kagome," said the monk, "Please sit down and allow me to explain."

She huffed angrily but complied, sitting down in on a cushion next to the one Sesshoumaru was seated on. She glared at the old man. "This had better be good," she grumbled.

He laughed. "Do not worry. I'm sure what I have to say will be to your liking."

_I doubt that._ She shook her head to clear it as he began to speak.

"I discovered the shard almost two years ago ago," he told them, "but not in the form I expected."

_That was when I first broke the jewel._ Kagome's brow furrowed as she took in what she had said. "What do you mean?"

In lieu of an answer, he placed a cup of tea in front of her. "I do not know if, considering the present conditions, you would believe me, so I'll just have to show you," he said. He motioned to the bottle of jewel shards at her neck. "May I?"

Her eyes narrowed a fraction of a centimeter and she touched the bottle protectively. She liked the monk—at least she had up to this point; right now her opinion of him was a bit debatable—but he'd lied to her for three weeks! Who's to say he wouldn't run away with the shards when he got them? Or go even crazier? He was obviously a nutcase.

"He has no evil intent," Sesshoumaru said calmly. She glanced over at him to be met by his bored expression. She held his gaze for a few moments before smiling gratefully.

Then she stopped herself and her smile went sour. This was the man who'd just insinuated that she was a lesser being than he only a few hours before. She glared daggers at him before turning away and yanking the chain over her head. She held it out to the monk, who took it reverently in his hands. Her eyes narrowed as he opened the bottle and tapped one of the four they had gathered into his hand.

Kagome blinked when he overturned his hand and the shard fell into the tea.

-oOo-

**Okay, my sister was reading this story for me, and I realized, thanks to her, that not everyone is familiar with the Japanese language. I don't pretend to be a professional, so if you see any errors below please let me know!**

**This chapter's pseudo-Japanese-English-dictionary will not be updated. I will post new entries (entries? lol I sound like an English teacher) at the end of the chapter in which they are used, and they will be added to a master list at the end of the first chapter, so go there if you have any questions.**

Miko: priestess

Houshi: Buddhist monk

Taijiya: demon slayer

Youkai: demon

Taiyoukai: greater demon; sometimes used to mean greater demon in Inuyasha

Inu: dog

Neko: cat

Hanyou: half-demon

Shikon no Tama: Jewel of Four Souls/Sacred Jewel

**And others that I may or may not use…**

Kitsune: fox (when I use it I'm referring to fox demons, like Shippou; don't know if that's its actual usage though)

Kaze no Kizu: wind scar

Ookami: wolf

Kami: god

**Honorifics and Titles…**

-dono: "Lord" or "Master"; between "-sama" and "-san"; if two kings were speaking to one another, they would use "-dono"

-sama: very high respect; a person speaking to a king would use "-sama"

-san: respect for someone you don't know well (if you're both of middle-class, I suppose); a teacher and parent would refer to one another as such

-kun: when people of a senior status address one of a junior status; among males; by females to address a male they are close to (or to whom they wish to become close)

-chan: used to insinuate that the person to whose name it is attached is cute or endearing; by girls when talking in the third person, to sound cutesy

-bou: like "-chan", but only for boys

baa (and variations): base of the word for grandmother; Inuyasha calls Kaede "Kaede-babaa", which means that she's an old grandma

ba (and variations): base of the word for aunt

kaa (and variations): base of the word for mother

jii (and variations): base of the word for grandfather; Inuyasha calls Myouga "Myouga-jijii", which means that he's an old grandpa

ji (and variations): base of the word for uncle

tou (and variations): base of the word for father

nee (and variations): base of the word for older sister

nii (and variations): base of the word for older brother

-ue: old-fashioned (sort of); conveys respect; i.e., Ane-ue and Chichi-ue (father)

Imouto: younger sister

Otouto: younger brother

Go/o-: beginning of word that conveys respect; otousan (father), ohashi (chopsticks), goryoushin (parents)

Haha/Okaasan: mother

Chichi/Otousan: father

Ane-ue: old-fashioned way to refer to older sister

Aniki: refers to older brother

**A Note on Plurals:**

In Japanese, nouns aren't made into plural (at least, not in most cases); therefore, "neko" could mean one cat, two cats, or three cats. I've heard it said that the group Inuyasha and Kagome travel with is referred to as the "Inu-tachi". I'm _not_ going to use this because I was told by a native Japanese speaker that this would be understood as , "a bunch of dogs." –tachi can signify a plural in some cases (watashi-tachi, anata-tachi, etc.), but I won't use it like that in this fic. In fact, I probably won't use it at all!

**A Note on Respect:**

It is common, respectful, and pretty much expected to refer to another's relatives in the politest form possible, to people directly in the politest form possible (unless you're really familiar or something), and to your own relatives (when speaking in the third person, i.e., "This is my mom.") in the humble form. Therefore, someone would call their mom "okaasan" (or something similar) in the second person, call someone else's mom "okaasan", and call their mom "haha" when talking to someone else about her.

**A Note on Names:**

Kita means "north" and Minami means "south". Believe it or not, this really is a part of the story line, so I suggest you keep this in mind ;)

-oOo-

**If you have any questions or corrections, just PM me (or review, whatever). I will be posting this as a part of the first chapter, too, so all you new readers who've already read this, sorry for super-long A/N!**

**A Note on Inuyasha's Behavior in this Fanfiction:**

I also realized, thanks to my sister, that "Inuyasha isn't that much of a dick in the anime!" (Her words, not mine.) I realize that, due to my Fanfiction addiction (lol it rhymes), my mental image of Inuyasha has become gradually skewed and, therefore, inaccurate. If I really think about it, he's _not_ as bad in the anime as in most fics—but let's face it people. It is way too late for him to do a 180 in this story, so he'll just have to stay the same. The reason she was so mad in the first chapter is that she's fed up with him being so controlling (and occasionally really rude), him running off to Kikyou every chance he gets and yet getting mad at any guy that makes a move on her (think Hojo and Kouga), and him always being so rude about the whole "you're all a bunch of weak humans" thing. I don't know if this is actually accurate to the anime (or the manga for that matter), but it's how it is in most Kagome x Sesshoumaru fics, and it's how it is in this one too. Any problems, please don't hesitate to PM me.

**Happy New Year, by the way! Hope your resolutions hold out longer than mine did…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here's the next chapter! In response to a question I received, yes, Sesshoumaru is missing an arm in this fic. I mentioned it briefly in the first chapter (I think…) but I'm embarrassed to say I totally forgot about it in the "Sesshoumaru in the Future" arc. I'll be sure to touch on it if he goes back to Kagome's time… You know me; my characters have a mind of their own.**

**While I'm on the subject of the characters being weirdly rebellious, I'd like to apologize once again for the whole "Sesshoumaru's hair is gone?!" thing (that was something else my sister complained about lol). It TOTALLY wasn't intended. It just sort of happened, I guess (shrugs noncommittally). Oh, well. It'll come back eventually (evil grin).**

**Thanks to those who corrected me on the "taiyoukai" entry! It means a lot to me ;)**

**OH! And if you have some spare time, I wrote a oneshot a couple days ago called "Oops?". It's purely a humor fic, so if you want romance stay away—you're not gonna get it there—but if you want a good laugh, check it out ;) You can access it by clicking on my name at the top of the page.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters other than the OC's that randomly pop in here and there.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_Her eyes narrowed as he opened the bottle and tapped one of the four they had gathered into his hand._

_Kagome blinked when he overturned his hand and the shard fell into the tea._

-oOo-

Chapter 13:

"Um…"

The monk held up his hand sharply, effectively silencing her. Kagome frowned. Was something supposed to happen?

"Is something supposed to happen?" She jolted, shocked at the voicing of her thoughts. _Oh, right, forgot about Captain Motormouth._

"Shhh!" said the monk, his eyes still glued to the shard, which was currently swimming in his tea.

Kagome shifted. _I totally shouldn't have given him that shard…_ He was one step away from the insane asylum already. Who knew what a shard would do to him? Miraculously, Sesshoumaru managed to stay quiet. She'd expected him to at least protest the monk having shushed him.

A faint fizzing sound suddenly filled the room. Her gaze snapped to the teacup, her eyes growing wide at the tiny bubbles that rose to the surface, quickly obscuring the shard from her vision. Her mouth opened and shut wordlessly as she looked up at the monk. He was staring at the cup intently, the usual trace of humor gone from his aging face. She looked over at Sesshoumaru. He'd never really had any humor in his face, except maybe when he was making fun of her, so there wasn't much of a change.

When her eyes returned to the teacup it had stopped fizzing. Silence was heavy in the room for several moments. Kagome leaned forward, and she went completely still when she saw the contents of the cup. She blinked several times, unsure of what she was seeing. Her lips parted as she searched for words, but she drew a blank.

The cup was empty; nothing was inside but tea and, well, more tea. The shard…

"The shard is _gone_," she said, still not quite believing what had just occurred.

"No, it is not gone," said the monk.

She looked up at him, perplexed, but then she understood. Turning back to the cup she closed her eyes, releasing a long breath to focus. The familiar feeling of a shard brushed against her, and she opened her eyes once again. They widened in awe at what she saw.

The tea was glowing a luminous pink hue, casting unseen shadows on the planes of their faces. She almost lost her focus at this new discovery; the jewel shards had never appeared so bright to her before. _Chalk one up for meditating._ She glanced at the monk, and knew he saw the same thing. "How…? Why?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

_Touché. _Her gaze returned to the cup and she noticed the faint traces of pink that were slipping into the air above the tea. She thought vaguely that it was weird that the water was taking the jewel with it when it evaporated.

She tensed, her jaw going slack in horror. It was being taken with it when it evaporated! Then that was how it had gotten into the air! "Wait! How do we get it back?!" she said, looking at the monk frantically.

"I was hoping you could help me with that."

Another vein threatened to pop on her head. _Okay Kagome, calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. Can't think when you're all pissed off._ She counted to ten mentally before responding in a tight voice: "I don't know how."

The monk quirked a brow. "Then there's not much we can do about it," he said. "As soon as the first shard was lost I set up a barrier around the city so that it wouldn't spread around the world, but there's not much more I can do about that."

Kagome was starting to feel sick to her stomach. "Please tell me you didn't drop it in one of the wells," she said.

He blinked, then smiled, but she caught a hint of guilt in his eyes. "You _are _perceptive, aren't you?"

She smacked her hand to her head. "You do realize people _drink _that water, don't you? No wonder it always felt like it was moving." Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "What if someone leaves Kyoto? Will the barrier stop them?"

"Not exactly," he responded. "The jewel will be stopped by the barrier, drawn out of the person, and dispersed in the air once more."

"Then wouldn't it be best to simply shrink the barrier until it is so small the jewel has no choice but to crystallize?" said Sesshoumaru.

"That is where Kagome comes in."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why do you need me to do that?"

The monk sighed. "Alas, I am not powerful enough to do so on my own. In order to shrink a barrier _and_ still contain a certain substance—in this case, the jewel shard—inside, one needs enormous power and control." He looked at her. "Control that comes from years and years of training."

Understanding dawned on her. "_That's_ why you needed us to stay here for a while," she said.

"Correct. Even now your training is far from complete, but you are the Shikon miko; surely controlling the jewel will be easier for you than others, and I can shrink the barrier while you do so."

"Why didn't you just tell us where the jewel was before?" she asked curiously.

At this his lips curled into a smile once more. "Would Inuyasha have allowed you to stay here for three weeks to train if you had known all along where the shard was?"

"Good point."

"Typical half-breed," said Sesshoumaru, his voice completely monotone.

Kagome ignored him and turned back to the monk. "So how does this whole barrier thing work?"

-oOo-

The monastery was made up of several large buildings built around a central courtyard. The monk led Kagome and Sesshoumaru there, sitting down in the center of the courtyard and motioning for Kagome to sit across from him. Sesshoumaru announced that he would be watching (whatever that meant, he didn't say; obviously the curse was being picky-choosy these days) and vanished from the courtyard, leaving only the monk and a very nervous Kagome.

"Erm, Houshi-sama?" she asked as he began to meditate.

He opened one eye, and she took this as a sign to continue. "What if… what if I can't control the shard?"

He studied her for a long moment before answering, his voice grave. "Then it will be swept away in the wind, and the jewel will never be complete." A chill went down her spine. He must have noticed because he then said, "Do not worry, little miko. Have faith in your abilities. You have improved much in the past three weeks—more, I daresay, than most would improve in three years. You have no need to worry."

"People work on meditating for three years?"

"Those whose power is as strong as yours," he said. "Now. I want to you to slip into a semi-meditative state, where you are still aware, but still focused. Can you do that?"

She nodded and relaxed, feeling as her powers calmed within her. Immediately she felt the jewel's energy respond to her own, the draw it had on her strengthening. Pink energy glowed behind her eyelids.

"Good," the monk admonished. "Now I want you to feel where the barrier is."

She expanded her senses, her forehead creasing in concentration, until she felt the warp of holy energy surrounding the city. It was huge. The monk's powers were even greater than she'd thought, that he could constantly maintain such a massive barrier.

"Do you have it?" She hummed in response and he continued, "I am going to start retracting the barrier, and I want you to make sure that no amount of jewel passes through it. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

She felt his holy powers strengthen and begin to tighten. She breathed deeply, allowing her own powers to join his, reinforcing the barrier against the shards. Slowly, slowly the barrier shrank. She didn't know how long they sat there, but she would guess it had to have been several minutes. She marveled in the control over her powers she had gained in the past three weeks, all thanks to the monk. She still hadn't _quite_ forgiven him for not telling her where the shard was, but she could see his reasoning. Maybe he wasn't so insane after all…

"_Focus._"

"Sorry," she murmured, steering her thoughts towards the task at hand. The barrier had shrunk so much that now it only surrounded the monastery. She could feel her powers straining under the effort. It was like trying to fit the same stuff into a smaller and smaller suitcase—and she was an over packer.

She forced herself to relax while simultaneously tightening the hold she had on the shards. The barrier shrank further until it was only the size of the courtyard. She felt the exact moment the barrier passed over Sesshoumaru's aura. _So that's where he was._

_Focus, Kagome! You're almost there!_ Her jaw clenched and her lips pressed into a firm line as the barrier became more of a large bubble around the two of them. She didn't have to open her eyes to see the power swirling around them. As it shrank, passing through them, she felt a shiver run over her skin. The jewel lingered on her skin for a second longer than normal before finally compressing to a sphere the size of a beach ball. The shards on her neck pulsed in response, and she allowed them to disperse in the bottle, slipping through the glass and joining the shards now contained in the barrier before them.

Pressure began at the base of her skull as the jewel was compressed to such a small barrier that it began to crystallize. She heard, as if from far away, when the monk grunted under his breath. _That can't be good._ She sensed his strength fading and held back her panic when the pressure at the base of her neck built to something bordering on pain.

Her eyes opened and widened when she saw that he was trembling from the effort of holding the barrier. His bright blue powers and her pink ones were swirling together in the space between them, forming a little ball of purifying light about the size of a tennis ball. The light glowed purple where their powers met. She pushed harder, but the jewel seemed to have reached its limit. It wasn't getting any smaller, as if it couldn't reform.

And suddenly she knew what the problem was: Her powers were pink. The jewel was pink. The monk's powers were blue. She, as the miko of the Shikon, was compatible with the jewel, but the monk, even though his spiritual powers were great, was not.

She didn't realize her hands had reached out to cup the bright sphere in until they touched it. It was surprisingly… warm. Almost like a person.

_Well, it is the jewel of four souls after all,_ she thought vaguely. She saw the monk's eyes open as the last of his powers slipped away. The pressure at the back of her head immediately eased and she sighed in relief that she was still holding the jewel in her hands. She brought it closer to her chest, feeling the power that swirled within.

She shook her head, reminding herself what she was supposed to be doing. With another deep breath, she brought her hands closer together, the light dying down gradually until there was nothing but silence in the clearing. With bated breath she slowly opened her hands to see the small chunk of clear glass inside.

Her lips parted at the now-blank hue of the jewel. _Well _that_ wasn't supposed to happen._

-oOo-

**Confused yet? Wait for the next chapter: I have an extremely long A/N at the beginning that recaps this chapter ;) (And no, I did NOT count it as part of the chapter's word count.)**

**In words that are not mine, "That's all, folks!" (For today, at least!) (I spent most of my vacation on the couch while my sisters watched the Boomerang channel). Reviews are appreciated O.O (that's my stare).**


	14. Chapter 14

**OMG! It is WAY harder than it looks to wait five days to update! I hate schedules (breaks down in tears) so, as a result, I am posting this in my 2nd hour study hall.**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I am extremely poor—basically just a leech on society.**

-oOo-

**Some confusion, it seems, so instead of a "Last Time…" like usual I'll do a quick recap on what happened in the last chapter. If you need clarifying on anything else, just ask :)**

The monk revealed that when the jewel touches water it dissolves (sort of like salt), and Kagome sees (through her super-cool, super-powered, super-shard-detecting eyes) that when the water evaporates it takes the jewel with it.

Then she's all, "I really hope you didn't drop it in the well," and he's all guilty eyes (he did drop it in the well, and that's why it's all over Kyoto—it's been evaporating and people have been drinking the water, which is all connected under the city).

The monk reveals that he put up a barrier around the city to keep the shard from escaping (like, on a windy day or something). If anyone who has drank the water from the wells goes out of the city, they can pass through the barrier but the jewel shard inside of them will be drawn out of them and become part of the atmosphere of Kyoto once more.

Sesshoumaru then asks why he didn't just shrink the barrier until the shard was forced to crystallize, and the monk reveals that it would take someone with power greater than his, and with several years of training, to do so. He believes that Kagome could be able to with only three weeks of training because she's the Shikon miko and is automatically a little more in tune to the shards than anyone else with spiritual powers, but he still had to help her with her control, which is why he didn't tell them about this for the past three weeks that they'd been there (Inuyasha would NOT have let them stay in one place for three weeks if they knew where it was all along, and if Kagome were to mess up while they shrank the barrier the shard would be totally lost).

So, Kagome and the monk work together to shrink the barrier to a really small size, but for some reason they can't get the shards (which now includes the original Kyoto shard, the shard the monk dropped in the tea, and the other three shards on Kagome's neck) to crystallize. Kagome feels the monk's control wavering and opens her eyes. She then sees that, while her powers and the jewel's powers are pink, the monk's powers (although super-cool and strong and stuff) are blue—they aren't compatible with the jewel, and that's why they can't compress the jewel.

Basically, she reaches out and holds the tiny little tennis-ball-sized barrier full of Shikon no Tama, and when the monk withdraws his powers she still holds it (which is good), and the pressure at the base of her skull goes away (this was present because her powers, like the jewel's, are _not_ compatible with the monk's). She looks at it for a while, and then she remembers that she's actually supposed to be doing something (hello?) and finishes compressing the jewel, but when she opens her hands the chunk of jewel that came from the fusing of those five shards is clear and powerless.

**Whew! Now that **_**that's**_** over, on to the next chapter! Hope that cleared up any misunderstanding. And no, this was an isolated incident, so Kagome's not going to have to do this more than just this time (No beachballs or shard winds for you ;) And when I said beachball, I meant that the barrier was that large at the moment). At least, I hadn't planned it that way, but if I need a good filler chapter on the way to the north I might bring this unique (and totally made-up) property of the jewel back into play.**

**In fact, I think I will (evil grin).**

-oOo-

Chapter 14:

"Um, I think I just broke it," said Kagome nervously.

"I think," said the monk, squinting at the now colorless shard in her hand, "That you just absorbed it."

Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Now what? Would she have to set up a barrier around herself and shrink it or something to draw the shards out of her body? She gazed at the chunk of clear glass in her hands. For some reason she had a sneaky suspicion that that wasn't going to work—before it had been the jewel itself, but its power? That was a little different.

"Hm… interesting…" murmured the monk, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration. This was definitely his game face.

"What do you see?" she asked curiously.

His forehead puckered as he opened his eyes again. "Nothing." His eyes flitted to the air around her. "Except maybe that."

"What?"

"Your aura—"

"Kagome!" Both their heads jerked up to see Inuyasha trotting out into the courtyard, his eyes darting around at his surroundings. When they finally focused on her he frowned and said, "I felt something weird out here. What are you doing training right now? We're supposed to be out there shard-hunting and you're just _sitting_—"

"I'll _sit_ here for as long as I want," she snapped, huffing as she crossed her arms. She'd almost thought he'd been worried about her—at least until he opened his mouth. "Oh, and by the way," she said, tossing the useless hunk of glass into the Inuyasha-shaped crater next to her, "I found the shard."

"What? This ain't a shard, stupid," he said gruffly as he extracted himself from his crater.

She and the monk rose to their feet as Sesshoumaru finally reappeared. Ignoring Inuyasha's continued questioning, she turned to the monk. "Since there don't seem to be any more shards around here, I guess we'll have to leave," she told him. "I trust there are no other secrets you're keeping, especially regarding the curse?"

The monk shook his head. "I do not know of any way to lift this curse, and I believe our library is in the same dilemma," he said.

"Do you know of where we might go to inquire over the curse—and extracting the shards' power from my body?"

His eyes once again glanced at the air around her, but he shook his head minutely, as if clearing his thoughts, before turning to her once again. "There is… one person I know of who may know the answers to your questions," he said. She sensed hesitation in his voice as he continued, "She is known as the Northern Witch. She resides at the top of a mountain, and it is said that her fortress is guarded by a strong barrier; however, it is also said that she is as old as the mountain she calls her home and that she knows more than any other creature—human or youkai. She may be able to assist you, or at least point you in the right direction."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "I do not trust witches."

_What a surprise._ Kagome bit her tongue.

The monk's lips curved into a humorous smile. "Legends say she has more strength than a thousand taiyoukai and a thousand miko combined. I'm sure she'll be able to do _something_ to assist you."

Kagome's eyes widened. "That's amazing!"

The taiyoukai's eyes narrowed further. "I do not trust those who are stronger than I."

Kagome rolled her eyes. _God, he's so full of himself, that freaking prick._

Inuyasha immediately grinned, seeing an opportunity to embarrass his brother. "_I_ like the sound of that, don't _you_, Kagome?"

-oOo-

Sango and Miroku, it seemed, were more than ready to go, and Kagome admitted to a mild case of cabin fever herself. So, after saying her goodbyes and her words of thanks to all those she had met at the monastery, she found herself at the top of the stairs along with the rest of her companions as they bid farewell to the elderly monk, who was joined by his son, Tamago. He told them he had just come back from a trip to a shrine in the south.

Kagome, always the social butterfly, smiled. "How was it?"

He grinned. "Great! I learned so much."

"Come _on_, Kagome," Inuyasha growled, obviously not pleased with the hold-up. "We gotta go!"

She exhaled shortly, annoyed, and cast Inuyasha a sideways glare before turning back to the young monk apologetically. "Sorry. Guess we have to get going."

He nodded. "I understand. Safe travels!"

"Higurashi-san!"

Both Kagome and Tamago looked up at the group of happy monks as they descended the stairs halfway. Kagome frowned in confusion when they greeted the weary traveler next to her. His family name was Higurashi also? Her eyes bulged in realization and she stared at the monk. Higurashi _Tamago_?

She looked at the old monk, the one who had reminded her so much of her grandfather, and opened her mouth to question him, but she never got the chance. She let out a small "eep" of surprise when Inuyasha, fed up with her piddling around, latched onto her wrist and proceeded to drag her away.

When she had finally regained her footing, she jerked her hand out of the his grip and gave him a withering look. She glanced over her shoulder at the monastery that was now up a long flight of stairs. A smile played at her lips when she thought of how many times she had unknowingly thought to herself that the old monk looked so much like her grandfather. _No wonder._

"Human." She stiffened at the sound of her icy companion's voice and sent a glare in his direction. He was walking at the rear of the group, as usual. "I wish to speak with you."

"Is that so?" she asked coolly. "Well, _I_ don't wish to speak with _you_." No way was he getting away with calling her on such rude terms any more—she was putting her foot down right now. Before he had a chance to respond, she turned away, quickening her pace until she was even with Sango and starting up a conversation with the surprised taijiya.

Three neko youkai watched from their perch in a nearby tree as the group left the monastery. Kimiko grinned broadly, flipping her bronze braid over her shoulder. "Finally!" she said in her usual loud tone. "I was getting tired of staying in one place for so long!"

Himeko remained silent for a long moment, her eyes on the back of their Miko-sama as she crossed her arms angrily and blatantly disregarded the taiyoukai. Kimiko continued to complain about how lazy that stupid hanyou must be to make them stay so long in one place, but Shizuko blinked wide green eyes at their stoic sister. "Is something wrong, Himeko?" she asked.

The black-eared neko studied the girl for several more moments before shaking her head and turning back to Shizuko. "Did you feel the barrier shrinking yesterday afternoon?" she asked.

Shizuko's ears twitched and she smiled shyly. "Yes," she said. "That was Miko-sama, wasn't it?"

Himeko nodded, offering one of her rare smiles for her soft-spoken triplet. In the background Kimiko continued to trash-talk their Miko-sama's hanyou companion, but her sisters tuned her out as their gazes returned to Miko-sama. She would remember them, and soon. They could feel it. The completion of her soul drew near.

-oOo-

Kagome sighed in contentment as she slipped into the hot spring and rested her head against the rock behind her. Sango chuckled. "All that meditating finally getting to you, Kagome-chan?"

The futuristic miko nodded earnestly. "I don't know how Miroku-sama does it!" she said. "All that concentrating…" She shuddered. "Even the thought of just sitting there thinking about nothing all day gives me chills."

Sango pursed her lips, running a hand through her damp hair absently. "More like he sits there and thinks about the _same_ thing the entire time and it somehow passes as meditating," she remarked.

Her friend laughed, her eyes twinkling in mischief. "As long as he's thinking about _you_ I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

The taijiya's cheeks flushed and her gaze dropped to the water. "Nothing to worry about, my foot," she muttered. That monk was sure to be the end of her, fiancé or not. Her eyes returned to Kagome and she cocked her head to the side. "You and Inuyasha…" she began, but Kagome cut her off.

"…Are so over it's not even funny," she said. Her friend remained silent, waiting for her to continue, and after a moment's pause she obliged. "I'm just… I'm just sick of him being so rude all the time!" she huffed. "And always going back and forth between Kikyou and me—I'm finished." Sango nodded sympathetically, and she went on, her spark of temper replaced by sorrow. "I don't want to be a stand-in for her. I just want to be Kagome to him, but that can never be." She smiled ruefully. "I mean, I suppose it's not all his fault. I am basically Kikyou's twin."

"But you aren't her, Kagome-chan," the taijiya said firmly. "You're nothing like her."

"Sometimes… Sometimes I wonder about that," she admitted. "Was Kikyou really so emotionless when she was alive? Somehow I doubt Inuyasha would fall for someone like that. Maybe she really was just like me—dying can change your life, you know."

"Kagome-chan…" Sango began, but stopped herself and shook her head. "You shouldn't compare yourself to her. Even if you share a soul, you're a different person—remember that—and Inuyasha has no excuse. He should pick you or pick her and be done with it."

The miko raised her eyebrows at her friend's forceful tone, and her heart warmed in gratitude. "Thank you, Sango-chan." After a second her lips curled downward and she said, "But I'm afraid that's going to do _nothing_ about his attitude," she said. "He's as bad as Sesshoumaru!"

Sango's head tilted to the side, a smirk building on her lips. "That's an interesting thing to say. I thought you got along well."

Kagome scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hardly. He's so rude. He won't even call me by my name!" The taijiya giggled. "Well it's true! He has the worst superiority complex in the world. I mean, did you hear the man?" She adopted her best cold taiyoukai face and spoke in a low voice to imitate him. "'I do not trust those who are stronger than I.'"

Sango finally gave in to her laughter, leaning back against the rock behind her and giggling uncontrollably. Unable to hold a straight face any longer, Kagome joined in, her face flushing in her mirth. When their laughter had finally died down Sango brushed her bangs out of her eyes and sighed. "Seriously though, Kagome-chan, you guys were almost… close before yesterday. What happened?"

Kagome massaged her temples to help her think. "I… We were talking in the library, and I told him that I didn't like it when he called me mean names, and he said that since I'm not of an 'equal or higher station' than he, nor am I a member of his pack, he will not refer to me by my name."

"Kagome-chan," said Sango, a frown etched across her face, "I didn't know you didn't realize…"

"Realize?" she prompted when her friend trailed off.

"Erm, inuyoukai are pretty pack-oriented," she explained, "Especially when it comes to females." Kagome felt her stomach sink a little, but she remained silent so her friend could speak. "Inuyasha is only half-youkai, so his instincts are dulled a bit—not to mention he wasn't raised in inu society—but Sesshoumaru-sama was raised with strict rules. The only females who are to be referred to by their names are pack-mates and other taiyoukai." Sango gave her an apologetic look, obviously regretting what she was going to say next. "Also, Kagome-chan, a female asking a male inuyoukai to call them by their name is approximately the equivalent of a marriage proposal."

Kagome's jaw dropped, mortified. "You mean I just freaking _proposed_ to him? Why didn't he _tell_ me?!" Her face reddened. "Gosh, do you even know how many times I've told him to call me by my name?"

Sango smirked. "I'm guessing more than once," she said.

The miko groaned, sinking further into the water until the surface brushed her chin. "Got that right." _Guess I owe him an apology._ She suddenly remembered that morning when they were leaving the monastery, when he'd told her he wanted to speak with her. Maybe he was going to explain then. She couldn't even fathom how much of a bitch she must have seemed to him these past few weeks—and a desperate, ignorant one to boot.

Sango shook her head at her friend, feeling partially amused at her and partially sorry for her, as she stood up and walked to the edge of the springs. "Well, I'm done," she said. "I'll meet you back at the camp."

"See ya."

Kagome traced circles on the water's surface with her finger as her friend redressed and set off for the camp. How could she have been so stupid? Sesshoumaru was a lot of things, but he wasn't rude—rulers couldn't be rude, for diplomatic reasons—and yet she had continually accused him of impoliteness just because he wouldn't call her by her name. She groaned once more, remembering the significance of what she'd thought was a given. Poor guy, being forced to fend off her unknowing advances on a daily basis. She nibbled her lower lip. This time she'd screwed up big time. Now that she thought about it, the only female he referred to by her name was Rin, and she was a part of his pack. He even called Sango "taijiya" when he spoke to her (which was rare).

_Okay, all I have to do is apologize and explain that I didn't realize what I was saying all those times,_ she told herself. _Yeah, that's what I'll do,_ she continued mentally as her confidence built. _In fact I'll do that as soon as I get back to camp._

She stood and waded to her bathing supplies and hurried through her bath. After scrubbing herself top to bottom with soap, she held her breath and dipped underwater to wash away the suds and rid her hair of her shampoo. When she was finally done, she stood up again and wiped the water from her eyes.

She immediately froze, her eyes growing wide in horror as she took in the taiyoukai before her. "Se—Sesshoumaru?!"

-oOo-

**Cue the evil laughter. Why yes, I do know that you will all hate me for making you wait another FIVE DAYS for the next release (and, rest assured, I will hate myself too), but it is much more fun this way—for me at least ;) On the bright side, you did get a super-long chapter today, so it can't be **_**all**_** bad, right? (And no, I did NOT count the overly long A/N at the beginning.)**


	15. Chapter 15

**The promised chapter :) I got a review from a guest who signed as thebookworm90:**

_I'm surprised that Sesshomaru didn't explain sooner, or at least after visiting her time were he saw that the cultural norms were different. He's intelligent, I'm positive that he would have made the mental connection that Kagome as a future female wouldn't know certain things and would probably take offence to different things then him. I mean he did read a lot of books during his stay, didn't he sneak on one history or stumble across one about the differences of culture norms during the ages?_

**I very much appreciate this review! It makes me happy that you took the time to point out an error X) ****Sorry for the slip-up guys; I'll try to think things through better in the future... -.- I really hadn't even thought about... this and that... but the whole proposal thing works with the story just fine, so what the hay, right? This IS a fanfiction after all, and I AM an amateur writer, so it's not gonna be perfect.**

**Sorry for the OOCness! I promise I'll be better in the future. And next time, can you please sign in or something so I don't have to PUBLICLY degrade myself to get my point across? (Sweat-drops.) Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. (Nothing includes the _slight_ Harry Potter reference in this chapter. I swear I didn't notice it until I proofed.)**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_She stood and waded to her bathing supplies and hurried through her bath. After scrubbing herself top to bottom with soap, she held her breath and dipped underwater to wash away the suds and rid her hair of her shampoo. When she was finally done, she stood up again and wiped the water from her eyes._

_She immediately froze, her eyes growing wide in horror as she took in the taiyoukai before her. "Se—Sesshoumaru?!"_

-oOo-

Chapter 15:

"What are you _doing_ here?!" she hissed.

His eyes swept her form. "You are well-endowed for a human," he informed her.

"Wha—Ack!" She crossed her arms over her chest and dove into the water until only her face was visible. At his smirk she glared at him. "Why are you here?" she said, keeping her voice low so none of the others would hear—she definitely didn't want to explain _this_ to Inuyasha. "Didn't you know I was taking a bath?"

"I was aware," he said dismissively. She opened her mouth to tell him to _go away,_ but he cut in. "I have come to speak with you, human."

Her eye twitched. "You could have chosen _any_ other time to speak with me, you know!"

"You have been ignoring me," he said, giving her an icy look. "I doubt you would have listened."

"So you creeped on me while I was taking a bath?"

"This Sesshoumaru does not 'creep'," he said haughtily.

She rolled her eyes. "That's beside the point!"

"I agree." She blinked at his announcement. That had to have been the first time he'd ever agreed with her on anything. "It has occurred to me that, being from the future, you are not aware of the traditions of inuyoukai," he said.

She suddenly became very interested in her shampoo. "Erm, no," she said, "But Sango just explained some… things to me."

"Hn," he said. "That is good, wench. I did not want to explain myself to a human."

Her temper sparked and her eyes narrowed to slits at the taiyoukai. "However, _Shou-kun_," she said angrily, "Your traditions do not give you permission to be rude."

He arched an ivory brow at her. "You would continue to insist I call you by name, even knowing the implications of such a demand?" he said. "You are quite forward."

She scoffed to hide her blush. "Don't be so cocky. I just don't want you to call me 'wench' or 'human' anymore. It's totally uncalled for."

He cocked his head to the side in an almost dog-like gesture. "What would you have me call you?"

She pursed her lips. _Good point._ "Call me whatever you want, just not 'wench' or 'human' or any combination of the two."

He studied her for a long moment before finally saying, "I will call you miko, for you are a miko."

"Sounds good to me," she said. "Now can you leave me alone so I can get dressed?"

"I am not finished speaking to you, miko."

She sighed in frustration. "What is it now?"

His gaze narrowed. "It has come to my attention that you do not respect me, miko, and I do not appreciate that."

"What, did I hurt your feelings?" she asked sarcastically.

"You mock this Sesshoumaru."

"You let me go on for weeks unknowingly proposing to you!" she countered. "I don't think that warrants much respect!" She shook her head to clear it. This hot water was starting to get to her. "Look, I don't want to argue with you, Sesshoumaru. Let's talk about it some other time when I'm not naked in a hot spring, okay?"

"We will speak now," he growled. "My world, my rules."

Her jaw tightened at the use of her own words against her. "You're the one who's depending on me to lift the curse. I suggest you don't make me mad."

"Are you threatening this Sesshoumaru?" he said in a voice that clearly said she better not be.

She lifted her chin, wishing he'd just go away so she could hurry up and get out of the water. "What's it to you?"

He snarled, taking a hostile step closer. "Do not disrespect me."

"No, don't disrespect _me_," she said, returning his look. "I don't know what sort of chip you have on your shoulder against humans, but it's no excuse to be nasty to every human you come across. I'll respect you when you respect me. Is that perfectly clear?"

His eyes swirled with anger. "You ignore my orders."

Her mouth opened and shut wordlessly several times before she finally found her voice. "Your _orders_?" she seethed, feeling her face grow even hotter in her ire. "I don't give a damn about your orders, Sesshoumaru-_sama_, and you'd do best to figure that out right freaking now!"

She jabbed a finger at him. "Now you listen up," she snapped. "You may own a fourth of the country in this time, but I'm not from this time, so I don't have to do anything that you say because you don't have any power over me. You have about as much control of me as you do someone who lived and died five hundred years before this era.

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't belong here. When everything's said and done I'll return to the future. I was born there, I was raised there, and I will die there, because that is my place." Her voice wavered at the prospect of never seeing her friends again, but she brushed the thought aside just like any other time and went on, ignoring the wave of dizziness that spread over her from staying in the hot water too long. "You have no right to order me to do anything."

Panting slightly, she let her eyes drop to the ground and pressed a cool hand to her head to ward off fatigue. Finally, he spoke. "You… have a valid point miko," he conceded.

In her surprise she looked up, wide-eyed. "Uh, I do?"

He glared at her. "Do not make me doubt my judgment," he said. "I do not give my respect as freely as others. It helps maintain my image."

She reminded herself not to smirk at his statement—they were supposed to be having a serious moment here. She wiped moisture from her brow absently.

"However, not many would be able to speak so boldly to this Sesshoumaru," he said. "I have decided that you are now worthy of my respect."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Have you now?"

"I have," he reiterated, pinning her with a meaningful gaze. "Since you are indeed not of this time and, therefore, not under my jurisdiction, you are therefore politically immune and are of the same status as me. I will use your name."

Kagome blinked, staring at him for several seconds to be sure he wasn't joking. "Really?"

"I do not repeat myself," he said. He cast another bored glance in her direction before saying, "I will take my leave." He turned away, walking slowly towards their camp.

"Sesshoumaru," she called out abruptly. He paused and glanced over his shoulder and she fidgeted slightly. "Um… Thanks."

He raised his eyebrows once again. "You are welcome, Kagome."

When he had disappeared into the trees she finally found it in her to breathe. She stared after him for several minutes before shaking her head and hoisting herself out of the hot spring. Immediately the cold air hit her and she wrapped her arms around her and shivered as she hurried to dress, but for some reason her face was still warm even when she arrived at their camp.

-oOo-

A twisted smile spread across Naraku's face as he dismissed Kanna and returned to his thoughts. Even he had never predicted the taiyoukai's tolerance of this human female. It was baffling to say the least, but he could make it work. The taiyoukai had allowed her to curse him, cut his hair, slap him, and insult him, and now he was forced to consider her an equal. It was a surprise she wasn't dead yet. His eyes glowed as he remembered his comment when he had seen her in the hot spring. Maybe it wasn't such a surprise after all…

His expression hardened when he recalled her words. She was from the future? A budding relationship with Inuyasha's older brother he could work with, but time travel? No wonder Kikyou's reincarnation had shown up so soon after her death. How far from the future was she? And how could he use her to his advantage? There were numerous possibilities, but how could he make her help him?

They were just more questions to add to the long list of confusing things about the miko. He recalled what had happened at the monastery and scowled. How was he supposed to retrieve the shards now that she had absorbed their power? She didn't seem to know how to bring the shards back either. But this Witch of the North person… He grinned. That kind of power would be all it took to rid himself of Inuyasha's group for good.

A knock at the doors announced the presence of one of his incarnations. He extended his senses and found that Kagura had arrived. _Perfect timing._ He called for her to come in, and she obliged in her usual grudging manner, sliding open the door with an elegance only wind could attain.

"You called for me, Naraku?"

"Yes," he said smoothly. "I have a new mission for you. Kanna will join you."

She frowned, but said nothing as he continued. "There is a witch living in the northern mountains with great power," he said. "Inuyasha's group is headed there. I want you to—"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes and waving her fan delicately. "Go get her on our side so she'll attack their little gang as soon as they get there."

He smiled wickedly, and she forced herself not to shiver at the look. He was one seriously creepy guy. "Correct."

"What if she demands payment?" Kagura asked, eager to get out of Naraku's palace once more. The air here was sickening and dead, and she was beginning to have trouble breathing.

He tossed a small chunk of crystal to her and she caught it in her hand. She didn't even have to look at it to know what it was. It radiated dark energy. "The Shikon no Tama?" she asked incredulously, staring at the vile hanyou. "You may never get it back."

He sneered. "Only half of what I have in my possession. When I have the rest of the jewel I will use its power to regain the piece I have lent her."

_So he's going to double-cross her,_ thought Kagura, a smile almost rising to her lips. _Very interesting._

Naraku, seeming to sense her plans of defiance, growled low in his chest. "Don't even think about it, Kagura."

She tensed visibly, but forced herself to relax. "Yes, Naraku," she said tightly.

"Go."

Without answering, she turned and left the hanyou. He smirked at her retreating form as she shut the shoji behind her and walked stiffly down the hall to where Kanna was waiting. The wind witch was always so rebellious; her open insubordination amused him at times, and the fact that when it came down to it he had her heart and there was nothing she could do about it was deeply satisfying.

His thoughts turned to the undead miko and his expression darkened. Where was she? Her elusiveness was annoying him to no end. He needed her cooperation to destroy Inuyasha and obtain the completed Shikon no Tama, or at least her presence. That seemed to be enough to weaken the inu hanyou most of the time. The clay woman's reincarnation didn't like that either.

_Her reincarnation…_ He remembered what Kagura had told him of the trio of neko tailing the group, claiming Kagome would remember them when she was reunited with her soul. He had to admit, he was curious. What exactly would this remembering entail? Maybe he should finish off Kikyou now and find out.

A slow grin spread across his face at that prospect and his eyes flashed in anticipation. This was sure to be interesting.

-oOo-

**Ooooo Naraku's got a plaaaaan. Well, sort of, but you don't have to worry about that _quite_ yet ;) Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh, geez! Almost forgot to upload this -.-'. In answer to InuLittleStuff's question, yes, Sesshoumaru and Kagome will get together in this fic... eventually ;) I'm just sort of going with the flow for now... Don't want to force them together too early on... But there will be fluff later on, so hang in there!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

-oOo-

Last Time…

_His thoughts turned to the undead miko and his expression darkened. Where was she? Her elusiveness was annoying him to no end. He needed her cooperation to destroy Inuyasha and obtain the completed Shikon no Tama, or at least her presence. That seemed to be enough to weaken the inu hanyou most of the time. The clay woman's reincarnation didn't like that either._

Her reincarnation…_ He remembered what Kagura had told him of the trio of neko tailing the group, claiming Kagome would remember them when she was reunited with her soul. He had to admit, he was curious. What exactly would this remembering entail? Maybe he should finish off Kikyou now and find out._

_A slow grin spread across his face and his eyes flashed in anticipation. This was sure to be interesting._

-oOo-

Chapter 16:

Over the next week things gradually returned to normal between Kagome and Sesshoumaru—or at least, they went back to whatever could be considered normal for them. This basically consisted of Kagome chattering away with (to? at?) the silent taiyoukai while he inserted comments here and there. Her companions could pretty much guess the nature of his most recent comment by the look on her face. She'd always been easy to read. But they still found it odd that the expressive miko would chose Sesshoumaru of all people to spend her time with.

It had to be the contrast, Sango decided. She smiled crookedly to herself as Kagome once again huffed in exaggerated annoyance at the taiyoukai and went on about something or another. It had not gone unnoticed by the taijiya when Sesshoumaru had suddenly taken to calling Kagome by name. She glanced over her shoulder and raised her brows knowingly at the pair. _Couldn't miss that with your eyes shut._

Her eyes returned to the road in front of her and she was met by the sight of Inuyasha's red-clad form. _Well, unless you're Inuyasha,_ she conceded, _but that really doesn't count._

"I see you have taken notice of this recent turn of events also," Miroku whispered to her, his breath tickling her ear.

She felt warmth creep up her neck and shushed him. "You do realize youkai have super-hearing, right?" she countered in her lowest voice possible.

"Ah, Sango my love," he said, throwing an arm casually over her shoulders and chuckling at the pretty blush that rose to her cheeks. "Why shield them from the truth?"

"The truth?" she said skeptically.

"Of course, Sango, the truth!" he said, his eyes bright with mischief. "How can they continue to deny—?"

"Shhhh!" she said frantically, clapping a hand over his mouth, her eyes darting back to the taiyoukai in question. Luckily, he seemed to have been absorbed in a mainly one-sided (even with the curse) conversation with Kagome and didn't notice. She sighed in relief and let her hand drop from his mouth. Seeing his opportunity the monk let his hand slip farther down her back, but she immediately stiffened and gave him a look that was nothing short of terrifying. He laughed nervously and cringed away, hoping she wouldn't sic some evil spirits on him or something.

Sesshoumaru halted suddenly, his eyes narrowing as his eyes turned to the woods to the right of the path. Kagome, noticing his distraction, fell silent and peered past him into the trees. Seeing nothing, she gave him a questioning look, knowing whatever he'd sensed wouldn't stay secret for long.

"The clay woman," he said, his eyes still trained on the woods. "She is approximately six miles east of here, headed in this direction."

_Kikyou…_ Kagome told herself she shouldn't be affected by the undead miko's appearance, but she couldn't help the small bit of displeasure that pricked her heart at the mention of her. "Is she hostile?"

"She doesn't seem to be." He cast a brief glance in her direction before turning and continuing to walk behind the monk and taijiya. After a second's hesitation and a last look into the trees, Kagome turned away from the woods and jogged to his side. "Do not be sad, Kagome," he commanded.

She rolled her eyes at his superior tone. "I am not sad," she said. "I just…" She trailed off, uncertain of her feelings about Kikyou and, more importantly, Inuyasha. Sure, she'd given up on him romantically at this point, but she still cared about him as a friend, and she'd seen the way he looked when he had just seen Kikyou—pain, hope, sorrow, and desperation all clashing on his handsome face. Kikyou was half of what she used to be, and she was the other half. He was in love with Kikyou, but not as she was now—as she was when she was alive.

When she had a complete soul.

"You reek of dead fish."

_Well that was unexpected._ She looked at Sesshoumaru, her lips pressed together. "Dead fish? Really? I just took a bath last night!"

"Hn. That is not what I meant." His eyes slid to her face. "You are feeling guilty; therefore, you smell like dead fish."

She giggled—she couldn't help herself. "Do all people smell like dead fish when they're guilty?" she asked.

"Everyone has an underlying scent of guilt about them when they are feeling as such, but dead fish is unique to you," he said. "I once met a youkai whose guilt smelled like a skunk. It was most vile."

"What about you?" she said, grinning. "What do you smell like when you're guilty?"

He gave a little "humph" and lifted his chin minutely. "This Sesshoumaru does not feel guilty over anything. It is useless."

"You mean you've never done anything you regretted?" she asked curiously.

"I think before I act," he said simply.

She noticed it was only a half-answer, but she let it slide. "What's it like to be able to smell things like that?" she inquired. "Don't you ever feel like you're, y'know, invading someone's privacy?"

She could have sworn he snorted at that. "If one goes about letting their scent seep out here and there there's nothing I can do about it." Her smile was dazzling. Thankfully, the curse didn't make him say that. "That would have been embarrassing."

She cocked a brow at him. "What would have been embarrassing?"

He glared at her. "I must be rid of this curse—and soon. I cannot return to my palace in this state, and the paperwork is no doubt forming a small pile already."

"You have to do paperwork?" she said, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "That sucks."

His eyes widened fractionally. "It _what_?"

She flushed as she realized what she'd just said. "No! That's not what I meant! It's just an expression in my time."

He spared a glance at the extremely short hakama from her time she was wearing. She'd changed into them as soon as they'd left Kyoto, announcing that it was too hot to be going around in long pants all day. They were made of a strange blue material that hadn't even been hemmed. When he'd asked why she was wearing such torn-up hakama, she had informed him it was in style in the future, which confused him to no end, although he would never admit to that; thankfully, in this case the curse seemed to be on his side. It was a welcome change.

"It seems the human race has become looser in your time."

She gave him a horrified look. "We are not _loose_! I said it was just an expression!"

"That developed from what?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and turned back to the road, crossing her arms and exhaling shortly, and he smirked in triumph.

Soon enough, Inuyasha skidded to a halt, effectively stopping the rest of the group in their tracks. Sesshoumaru looked bored, as usual. Kagome felt her heart speed up as Inuyasha sniffed the air. A moment later the red-and-white form of Kikyou stepped out of the forest. Inuyasha called out her name, but the undead woman ignored him, her gaze snapping to Kagome. Their eyes met, and Kagome felt her section of their shared soul press forward. She swallowed her nervousness and stood tall.

"Kikyou," she greeted.

After a second, much to Kagome's surprise, the woman inclined her head in her direction. "Kagome." Her eyes found the hanyou. "Inuyasha."

"Kikyou!" he said, rushing forward. "What is it? Did Naraku—?"

"I have shielded myself from Naraku and his henchmen," she said placidly. She turned to Kagome once more. "It is my reincarnation I have come looking for." She arched a brow as she caught sight of the taiyoukai next to her, but said nothing in regards to him. "You absorbed the shards' power," she said.

It wasn't a question, but Kagome nodded anyway. "I don't know how it happened."

Kikyou gave a noncommittal "hm" at what she said. Her gaze slid over the air around Kagome, much as the monk's had, and she straightened (if it was even possible for her to straighten more), seeming to have made up her mind. "It is settled."

"Erm, what is?" asked Kagome.

"I will be travelling with your group from now on."

-oOo-

"Kaede-obaasan?"

Kaede, allowing the door to the villager's hut to swing shut behind her, glanced over at Shippou and Rin, who were staring up at her with wide, pleading eyes. She grunted under her breath in acknowledgement. This couldn't be good.

"Can Rin and Shippou go play hide-and-seek?" asked Rin.

Kaede cringed. They played hide-and-seek a minimum of thirty times a day, and she was getting tired of making the long hike to the river to keep watch over them, but she couldn't just leave them alone. Kagome was frightening when she was angry. Sesshoumaru was frightening, period. "I'll be along in a few minutes," she said. "I just have to check up on one of the villagers. She had a cold yesterday…"

"Great!" Shippou exclaimed excitedly.

Rin giggled as they "high-fived" (or whatever Kagome called it) and raced off. Kaede shook her head. They hadn't heard a word she'd said. She could only hope they didn't get attacked before she got there.

"Come on, Shippou!" called Rin over her shoulder. "Last one there is it!"

"Wait up!" Shippou panted. Rin was fast for a human! A few minutes later they arrived at the top of the hill overlooking the river. Rin had already been distracted by flowers, and Shippou collapsed on a rock to catch his breath. A couple seconds later he blinked in surprise when Rin dumped a pile of flowers on his face. He sat up, spitting some out of his mouth. "What was that for?"

She laughed, pointing at his face. "You have flower dust on you!" she teased. He crossed his arms and pouted, and she giggled again, brushing it off his forehead. "You're so funny, Shippou."

He turned beet-red and looked down at his hands.

"Rin picks flowers for Sesshoumaru-sama too!" she said cheerfully.

Shippou's eyes went wide. "He lets you dump flowers on his face?"

She shrugged, brushing the last of the pollen from his hair and sitting down next to him on the rock. "He doesn't seem to mind."

Shippou snickered at the thought of Rin tossing a big pile of flowers onto the taiyoukai's face. He definitely had a soft spot for her. "Have you ever picked flowers for Jaken?" he asked.

She nodded vigorously, then stopped and frowned. "But he always throws them away…" She brightened. "But then Sesshoumaru-sama will kick him!"

"He sounds scary," Shippou said, shivering.

"Oh, no!" said Rin. "Sesshoumaru-sama is very kind and gentle to Rin. He's like Rin's otousan, because Rin lost her otousan a long time ago."

"My otousan and okaasan died too, but now Kagome is my okaasan, so it's okay!" he said, smiling.

Rin grinned mischievously. "Maybe Rin's otousan and Shippou's okaasan should get married. That way we can both have an okaasan _and_ an otousan."

Shippou gaped at her. "No way!"

"Why not? Your okaasan is kind and my otousan is kind," she said. "They're perfect for each other!"

_Sesshoumaru is kind? That's gotta be a first._ He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, um, sure, Rin. That sounds great."

Her eyes lit up. "Then Shippou would be Rin's brother!" she said, smiling broadly. Shippou jumped at least a foot into the air when she immediately flung her arms around him and held him close. "That sounds even better!" she squealed.

His face was approximately the color of a tomato at this point. "Yeah. Even better."

-oOo-

**Awww, Shippou's got a crush! (And Rin is surprisingly perceptive sometimes lol.) Don't forget to review!**


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